His Reward
by beautifully-rational
Summary: "We're going to play the switcheroo." The Doctor announced. "Today, Rory, your name will be Doctor. And my name will be Rory." - The Doctor is reminded of his old companions one day/night on the TARDIS and decides to have a little fun. Rated K plus for suggestiveness and language - Amy/Rory - occasional 11/companion. Not all visits follow the switch rule. HIATUS.
1. Introduction

**_Author's Note:_**

_Hello new readers and old readers!_

_This idea popped into my head while we were in the McDonalds drive-thru. We were having a very in-depth discussion about how the Eleventh Doctor and Jack should get together, and suddenly the plot bunny bit me. The Doctor's got a new face and none of the older companions know. Aside from Sarah-Jane and Jo Grant, and I'm going to have to ever so reluctantly leave them out of this fic (they met him in a Doctor Who crossover with the Sarah-Jane Adventures)._

_I have planned four or so characters to write about, which are: Martha and Mickey, Sylvia and Wilfred, Jack and Torchwood (with Owen and Tosh) and perhaps a couple of older characters. If you have any suggestions as to which characters he could visit, then leave a review to suggest. :)_

**_Exact Estimate_**

* * *

_Friends are born, not made. _

_- _**Henry B. Adams**

* * *

The Doctor bounded down the stairs which were joined to the console room, in search of something to do. He had flown the TARDIS into the vortex a couple of hours ago, hoping to grab himself some peace and quiet. But now he'd discovered peace and quiet was most boring when Amy and Rory were in their sleep cycle.

They'd gone to bed an hour or two ago, mumbling goodnight as they passed the kitchen where the Doctor had enveloped himself in fish fingers and custard. The Doctor had cheerily returned the goodnight wish with a smile, and then left the Ponds alone for the evening (although, he took to not mentioning they were in the vortex, where neither night nor day existed).

He now regretted letting them retire to their bunk beds so easily. Humans were so needy; they always needed food, the bathroom, sleep and sometimes they even seemed to want to kiss him. But he, the almighty Timelord, barely ever needed sleep. I mean, he _could_ sleep if he wanted to. But he didn't want to bore himself to death by laying still for an extended amount of time. He just couldn't stand being still or quiet, and so now, he was annoyed at himself for leaving himself with no one to talk to.

He had tried to talk to the TARDIS but had only gotten a low hum in response. It seemed even Sexy wasn't up for a late night conversation.

And so the Doctor took to wandering the TARDIS corridors again. He left the console room in a trudge, now feeling rather depleted after bounding in. Although he'd been with Sexy for a very long time, she always managed to surprise him with her room contents.

Sometimes he'd find a room full of trees, a room full of badgers, a room full of balloons, a room full of beds... He still had yet to discover a room full of rooms. But he didn't tend to be patient.

And so the Doctor wandered for what seemed like hours (he was in the vortex, after all – he could have wandered for days and never known about it) as he searched absentmindedly for something to entertain himself with. In this time he was only drawn to two rooms. The first had been an empty room, and the second had been his old console room.

He'd wandered in when he caught himself smiling at all the happy memories the coral desktop bought him. So many wonderful things had happened in this room.

He took to running his fingers over the familiar buttons and levers, and listening to the sound of his feet pad across the metal grating. He had cherished the layout of his old console room. It had suited him back when he chose it – dark and plain. But now the console room was airy and made of glass, which reflected how bubbly and happy he was (acting) now.

"Sarah, you press this button."

The Doctor jumped when he caught a man's voice in the old console room – a voice that belonged to his previous incarnation. He looked up to the console again and was most surprised to discover all his companions standing around it, hands on the console and helping to fly the TARDIS. He remembered that day well.

"Jack, make sure this is kept level."

All his favourite people in the world had been in the same room. All of his companions and all of his memories had been cased into the tiny little police box as they flew Earth back to its rightful position in space.

"Jackie…"

He chuckled as he watched them fly her. He leant against the railing, watching them save the Earth and all the humans down below.

"You just, uh, stand out of the way. Over there."

He caught Jackie's glare at his previous incarnation, and Jack's laugh as he saw it. He smiled as he ran his eyes over his companions again, but when he blinked to clear away the tears that had crept to his eyes, they had disappeared and left the old console room dark and forbidding once again.

The Doctor uttered a heavy sigh as he took to caressing the old console again. He circled twice dreamily, reminiscing about all his companions and how brilliant (how _fantastic_) they all had been. When he paused to look up at the lifeless time rotor again, he was disappointed to find no more memories had come to life.

He took this time to slowly make his way out of the old console room. As he entered the doorway her turned to look at it again, and now was actually quite surprised to see all his companions standing around the console once again. The room suddenly lurched, and the room erupted into a mass of hugging and celebrating. The Doctor remembered that, too.

Eventually the commotion was resorted to a group hug, and people were smiling wildly and speaking excitedly amongst themselves. The Doctor caught himself crying as he watched his past-self get squished to death by Rose, Jackie and Mickey's hugs. He remembered having to call on his respiratory bypass system to continue breathing, and he smirked through his tears at the thought.

When everyone began to dispatch from the room to outside, he took it as he cue to leave. He turned to face the console room once last time, catching Jack's mockery of the Metacrisis, before shutting the door behind him. He let out a long breath and his fingers traced the doorknob.

The Doctor wondered why the TARDIS had shown him that. Perhaps it was his punishment for being so eager for something to do, or perhaps it was just a reminder that there were people out there who cared about him. But right now he wasn't feeling down. He was feeling depleted, but not in the emotional sense. He just wanted something to _do_.

And then, suddenly, he knew exactly what he wanted to do, perhaps solving the mystery as to why the TARDIS had shown him that particular memory with all his companions.

The Doctor – not so patiently; he took to speed-reading half the contents of the romance section in the library – waited for the Ponds to come out of their sleep cycle. It took them seven hours (again with the vortex thing) to finally make their way down to the console room, fully clothed and ready for another day.

"Right!" He announced to them as they descended the stairs. "We're going to have some fun today." He clasped his hands together almost excitedly, and the Ponds exchanged curious glances.

"Your definition of fun always involves running from some species you've angered by saying something about their noses." Amy said disapprovingly, and Rory nodded in agreement.

"I'll have you know, Amelia, there will be no running today. Unless, that is, something Rory says is taken the wrong way."

"_What?_"

"We're going to play the switcheroo." The Doctor announced. "Today, Rory, your name will be Doctor. And my name will be Rory." He then smirked and looked at Amy. "And Amelia, your name will be Fred."

The Ponds only gave him blank stares and Amy's stare had a slight suggestion of a glare at being titled 'Fred'.

"Old joke. Never mind, then. Keep your name, _Amelia_." The Doctor dismissed Amy's title with a wave of his hand.

"_Why_ exactly are we switching names?" Rory asked as the Doctor began to fiddle with buttons and leavers around the console.

"Because, _Doctor_, I was kindly reminded last night that I still have friends out there. And none of these friends know about my new face. So, I thought to myself, '_why not_'?" He looked up a Rory and flashed a big smile. "They won't know who is who, and what's better than a little prank?"

"I think the ridiculous bowtie will give it away." Amy chortled as she examined the Doctor, and he only pouted in response to her preposition.

"Amelia is in on it, _Doctor_, so why not you?" The Doctor questioned the rather bewildered-looking Rory as his fingers hovered over the switch which would throw the TARDIS into flight. "Live a little!" He exclaimed.

"Fine." He huffed ultimately. "But you have to take off the bowtie." He proposed with an evil smirk, seconding Amy's suggestion he'd so happily ignored.

"But –"

"Take it off, _Rory_." The real Rory hollered, holding out his hand for the Doctor's much-loved bowtie.

The Doctor grumbled as he untied his favourite piece of clothing and handed it to Rory. Rory stuffed the bowtie into his jeans pocket, before holding out his hand again.

"And the suspenders."

"Are you asking me to strip, or what?" The Doctor asked defensively, hugging himself to prevent his companions from taking his second-favourite piece of clothing.

"At least the tweed jacket." Amy suggested from her place on the jump seat with a slight smirk, and when she caught the Doctor's glare, she added with a smile, "If you want this to work, you don't want to look like someone who's walked out of the 1950's and into the 21st century."

The Doctor, knowing she was right, slowly removed his beloved tweed jacket and placed it Rory's hand. Rory took it and then handed it to Amy, who slung it over a railing, completely out of sight.

"Now I feel naked." The Doctor puckered. "Thanks, Ponds."

He then shoved the lever upwards and threw the console room into a violent shudder. Rory grabbed onto the nearest thing glued to the floor, as did Amy. The Doctor just managed to keep his hold on the console. Once the turmoil had settled, the Doctor began to run for the door, but stopped himself as his fingers brushed the handle.

"Right. I'm Rory." He instead brushed down his shirt with his hands and stepped away from the door.

Then Rory hesitantly reached for the handle and pushed the door of the TARDIS open. Once he disappeared outside, the Doctor took it upon himself to grab Amy's hand and drag her outside with him after Rory.


	2. Martha Jones and Mickey Smith

_**Author's Note:**_

_I didn't know quite what I wanted to put in the author's note, aside from the fact that this fic will almost certainly include spoilers. It's set sometime after Vampires in Venice, I'd say, since I'm not planning on mentioning River very elaborately any time soon._

_**This fic will have spoilers from End of Time**__ (the end of Tennant's era). So I'm warning you now before you move on. I haven't gone into much detail, but if you haven't finished Tennant yet and would like to keep the nice surprises in the special as surprises, then I recommend you don't read this chapter. As a matter of fact, the first word is actually a spoiler. xD_

_This whole chapter is also from Martha's point of view. And I'm horrible at writing Mickey... I just can't get my head around it! He was innocent and stupid at first when he met Nine, but when he met Ten he sorta became a man. And surely what's happened has changed him, so I was kind of lost of how to portray him._

_But please, enjoy and ignore all my rambles in the author's notes! And please do tell me if anything is out of place. :)_

**_Exact Estimate_**

* * *

Martha Jones-Smith couldn't run very fast. And the fact she had to glance behind her every few seconds to ensure Mickey wasn't trailing too far behind wasn't helping either. She'd lost her stamina these past few years, because things had gotten more hands-on rather than fleeing from threats. At least, the job description of an alien hunter was: 'kill or be killed'.

She sharply turned a corner, skidding on her toes slightly and almost toppling. Mickey followed not shortly afterwards and edged her to keep going. They were running from a Slitheen. Mickey had made negative noises about the green creature, linking it to military bombs and Downing Street. She'd dismissed his link with a grunt as they ran.

Neither of them had any idea where the Slitheen had come from, and that was precisely why they'd been paid to track it. The Slitheen were an unwanted family from Raxacoricofallapatorius and had been exiled from their home planet for a crime that had remained unnamed. And why there was one here, no one knew.

They'd been looking for it down one of the streets nearby when they actually _found _it. Mickey had charged at it, stun gun and trans-dimensional cage at the ready. He just missed getting his head swiped off by the green alien's deadly claws. It had then started to pursue Martha at the end of the street, and so they'd both been running from it ever since. They'd lost it quite considerably, but Mickey kept close to it to ensure they didn't completely lose it within the street system. He'd told her to run and that he'd try his best to lead it away from her.

He was still behind her and was sporting his stun gun rather majestically. He was firing blindly most of the time, attempting to hit the shadowing creature.

And then suddenly, as Martha turned another corner, she ran straight into a man. He attempted to catch her but failed miserably, falling to the floor with Martha on top of him. There were two cries of surprise and one noise that seemed to resemble a cheer. Martha looked down at the man she'd fallen on and gave him an apologizing look.

As she picked herself up, taking a moment to glance behind her to check for the Slitheen, she said, "Look mate, it's not safe in here. There's an alien on the loose and it's armed and dangerous."

And then Mickey came round the corner, bowling Martha over once again. She didn't even catch the man's response.

"It took a detour." He told her as he helped her up, not registering the presence of the man Martha had just run into. "It's gone 'round one of the side-alleys, probably hoping to cut us off." He then glanced back around the side of the wall that marked the corner, and looked back at Martha contently.

Mickey opened his mouth to speak again, but rather than words, his lips curved into a confused pout, and his eyebrows furrowed. Martha saw he wasn't looking at her; he was more or less looking _behind_ her, and so she turned to follow his gaze.

And, well, she almost fell over. Because there was the honest-to-goodness blue of the Doctor's TARDIS – police box and all. She immediately looked to the man she'd bowled over, who was getting helped up by a red-haired woman.

"You changed?" Mickey asked hoarsely from behind her.

No one answered at first, but the man Martha had fell onto eventually stepped forward and held his hands out in a comical '_obviously, here I am_' gesture. Both Martha and Mickey pounced onto him, engulfing him in a mass of hugs (and a couple of kisses, because Martha was in a good mood).

His new face was slim and long, with a slight stubble and nice eyes. He had flat light brown hair and his nose was a little bigger than she would have liked. He wore jeans, a red shirt and a denim body-warmer. It was incredibly strange Doctor-attire (it was too normal for him), but he seemed to always manage to surprise people.

"Were you alone when it happened?" Mickey asked him, Martha unable to put her finger on something to say. "Last time we saw you, you were alone."

"I was… uh…" The Doctor was most strangely lost for words.

His previous incarnation never actually shut up. And this one was strangely quiet and very quirky. Martha quickly ran her eyes over his two new companions – the red-haired girl who had helped the Doctor up and a man standing absently, leaning on the TARDIS exterior. Martha looked at all three of them, wondering how their complicated relationship had started.

"I was alone. Yes. I changed by myself." He finally spat out after looking around the street for inspiration.

"Did it hurt?" Martha eventually got out.

She knew about the regeneration process – he had told her about it on New Earth. He had said that if a Timelord is critically injured and/or is facing death, they can completely rebuild their molecular structure to form a brand new body before dying. And then he'd simplified it to: "If I'm going to die, I'll get a new face."

And it seemed he'd gone and done exactly that. He'd managed to get himself killed. Martha couldn't help but wonder if the death had been painful for him.

She looked to the Doctor, who didn't seem to have a suitable answer for her question. And she didn't blame him. It had taken her a while to get him to talk about him and his complex life. Perhaps the way he had died had been private, and that's where he wanted to keep the information.

"Uh, well, yes. It hurt."

Or not.

If anything, he was very hesitant in his sentences, this one. It was as if he was expecting someone to come round and hit him if he got something wrong. Of all things, he seemed extremely unsure about being here.

Martha caught the male companion smirking wildly to himself at the Doctor's inability to get out a sentence. The red-haired girl also looked amused, but not in the same sense as the man.

"I wish we could have been there for you." Martha stated with a gentle smile. "All you needed to do was ask, you know."

Martha turned to look at her husband for something else to say, but Mickey was giving the Doctor a sideways glance. The old companions and the new companions were just standing together awkwardly with a Slitheen on the loose.

"Thanks." The Doctor said, his lips slightly curving to form the hint of a smile.

"So." Martha decided to change the subject, as the nameless two new companions were bugging her. "New companions, hey? What happened to Donna?"

The Doctor turned to look at his companions and both of them smiled at him. It was a smile that almost made the whole encounter seem like a joke. But it couldn't be, because he'd come all this way just to say hello. How could that be converted into a joke?

"Uh, yes." The uncertain tone still rung in his voice, and judging by the expression on Mickey's face as he examined the new Doctor, the feeling of uncertainty was mutual. "This is Amy. Amy Williams."

"Amy _Pond_." The man leaning against the TARDIS corrected. "In my eyes, Doctor, she'll never have _my_ last name. It just seems so... _wrong_."

Martha assumed Amy and the other man were married. Which was strange, because the Doctor had clearly outlined he wasn't domestic. And yet, he had a married couple on the TARDIS. She would love to see his reaction if they ever had kids.

"Right." The Doctor seemed to agree with him, but as he turned to introduce Amy's husband, his eyes were reduced to slits and the man was smirking cheekily. "And this is Rory Williams."

"Hello!" Rory gave Martha and Mickey an over-exaggerated wave. "The wonderful Doctor has never mentioned you two before, so please, enlighten me?"

Martha and Mickey exchanged glances. It seemed Rory was asking for their names. Martha was also quite surprised the Doctor had never mentioned her or Mickey to his new companions. Her Doctor had always gone on about Rose, so why not her and Mickey with these companions? And 'wonderful' Doctor? She wondered if Rory was Jack the Second.

"Mickey Smith." Mickey introduced himself. "And my wife, Martha Smith-Jones." He introduced Martha.

"Smith-Jones?" Rory asked curiously.

It seemed Rory was more intrigued about what Martha and Mickey had been doing this past few years than the Doctor. This incarnation was very shy. Shy or not, it was most unlike him to be _this_ quiet around old friends he hadn't caught up with in a very long time.

"Yeah. Martha wanted to keep her Jones, and so we settled on Smith-Jones." Mickey explained with a grin. "So Doctor, why have you never mentioned us before?" He then went on to ask the out-of-place Timelord.

"Oh, you know." He finally answered a question immediately, although quietly and not so confidently. "Things to do, places to be..."

"Ri-ght." Mickey nodded his head, sarcasm ringing in his voice. "Though, boss, answer me this."

Martha put her hands on her hips, further showing the annoyance in never being mentioned. She knew each of the Doctor's companions had been important to him (he'd hand-picked them himself) but still, never ever mentioning them to the new companions was just downright rude. Then again, Martha had never met Donna before her time with UNIT and the Sontarans. Perhaps he just liked to be secretive?

"What year did you meet Rose in, again? I completely forgot." Mickey seemed to be quizzing the man, and surprisingly, no immediate answer came out this time.

And then Martha sort of made sense of why he was asking. If the Doctor had a new face, he could be any of the three people standing in front of her. She doubted he'd regenerated into a female, but all things considered, the preposition was entirely reasonable.

"I..." The Doctor began, but he was interrupted before he could continue.

After a few moments of silence from the Doctor, Amy burst into laughter. Martha and Mickey gave her a perplexed look, but Rory and the Doctor just simply stood there a little too innocently.

And then Martha was certain Mickey was right. Rory was the Doctor and the Doctor was Rory. It seemed Mickey thought the same, since he had his armed crossed and was smirking in (the man introduced as) Rory's direction.

"Very funny, Mister." Martha moved over to him, still leaning on the TARDIS, getting right up into his face. "You're so rude, you are!"

She was rather actually quite annoyed at the Timelord and his companions for playing that trick on them, but kudos to them for managing to keep it up for so long. Mickey was laughing in turn with Amy now, and the real Rory soon gave into the urge as well.

"Oh, lighten up Martha." The real Doctor shoved her away playfully. "A new face and a TARDIS which can travel through time and space? I couldn't resist the urge." He giggled very childishly. "The _looks_ on your faces when you realized!"

She was still so _annoyed_ at him despite the fact he'd come to say hello again, but she could never stay mad at him forever...

"I've missed you _so_ much!" Martha took to hugging the real Doctor again, and he happily hugged her back.

She made a mental note that this face rather enjoyed hugs, whereas his last face hadn't really liked them. He had accepted them but never actually had said he liked them. This one picked Martha up and spun her round as she hugged him. He was much more enthusiastic about everything in general.

Martha and the Doctor then moved over Amy, Rory and Mickey, where the three were engulfed in conversation about something that sounded alien. She knew what it was like for people having no one to talk to about what they'd seen with the Doctor. Mickey and Martha understood, and so Amy and Rory must have been explaining their stories to Mickey.

"That was a nasty trick, boss." Mickey commented as Martha approached with the Doctor.

They were holding hands, something that the old Doctor had enjoyed doing. She missed holding hands with him. His hands were always warm and she'd always grab on when she was feeling cold. He always seemed warmer than she was, no matter the climate. This face was the same; his hands were warm.

"I couldn't resist, sorry Ricky."

"_Mickey_."

"Ricky."

"Mickey."

"R-i-c-k-y. Ricky."

"My _name_ is Mickey." Mickey continued to huff as the Doctor demanded his name was Ricky rather than Mickey.

"Mickey the Idiot, then." The Doctor changed his mantra with a grin.

Martha glanced at Amy and Rory, who were looking just as confused as she was. She knew Mickey had met the Doctor before she had, but it seemed there were a couple of inside jokes the two shared. Martha and the Doctor's current companions let the two exchange various names for a couple of minutes, before Amy quietly cleared her throat, causing the Doctor to look at her and Mickey to pause.

"Yes, Pond?" He asked innocuously.

"There are three other people here, you know." She reminded him, gesturing to herself, Rory (who _was_ actually apparently Amy's husband) and Martha.

"Oh, right!" He exclaimed, suddenly registering the fact there actually were more people in the room.

He turned to face Amy and Rory, which turned his back to Mickey. Mickey took this opportunity to give the Doctor a shove on the shoulder. He stumbled into Amy, who caught him before he could fall. Martha caught the redness of the Doctor's cheeks as Amy took her hands from his chest. Martha caught herself smirking – was the Doctor preying on married women, now?

He muttered a thank you and then turned to glare at Mickey. Mickey smiled sweetly in response, before grabbing Martha and pulling her to beside him. It wasn't rough – it was more or less a 'we have a Slitheen to catch and the Doctor's lovely but we do have lives now, you know' grab.

"It was good seeing you again." Martha took it as her cue to say the closing speech. "Even though your name was Rory in three quarters of your hello." She grinned.

"Yeah, thanks for dropping in, boss." Mickey added rather un-elaborately.

"It was lovely to meet you." Amy stated with a slight bow of her head. "And it was the entirely Doctor's idea... believe me. But we made him take off the bowtie." She said proudly.

Martha and Mickey exchanged glances again. The Doctor apparently was creating his own fashions, now. Although the converse with the suit had been sort of out of place, bowties (and were they _suspenders_?) were just taking it over the top.

"I did have a tweed jacket too, but Pond went and hid it from me." The Doctor puckered from his place beside Amy. "And yes, Smiths, a _bowtie_."

This Doctor was also incredibly good at reading expressions, too. Martha smiled at him and he smiled back. She was so glad he had come back to say hello, even though it had been a prank at the time. And he had incredibly good timing – they'd almost certainly lost the Slitheen during their catch-up with the Doctor.

"Before you go, Mister, answer me something." Martha stopped him as he seemed to begin to enter the TARDIS. He turned to face her, face lit up in a huge smile. Amy and Rory were looking at her, too.

"You are okay, aren't you?" She asked him, and she caught the smile fall from his face slightly.

"I'm always okay, Martha." The Doctor answered, the smile still half-on his face. "I'm the king of –"

"_Doctor_."

"Ponds." The Doctor avoided the question as he turned to his companions. "Go inside for a moment, would you?" He asked politely, standing aside from the door so they could go in.

They did as they were told. Amy flashed Martha a concerned glance as she disappeared into the TARDIS. The Doctor pulled the door shut when Rory was inside, and he turned his back to it so he could lean on it. He then pinched the bridge of his nose and then looked up at Martha.

"I won't lie to you." He began. "I just miss it. I miss being with everyone. I miss being with you." A sad smile formed on his face as he spoke. "I mean, Amy and Rory are charming and I love them to pieces, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if everyone else is okay."

"We're alive and well." Martha reassured him with a smile. "We're happy and we've got each other, thanks to you."

Mickey made a noise of approval from beside him, and the Doctor smiled down at his toes.

"Sorry about the prank, too." He apologized, finally looking up at them.

"It's all good." Martha reassured him. "But next time, maybe you should tell Rory our names and a little background information first." She suggested.

"And get him dressed in something more strange." Mickey added. "Denim isn't your thing, boss. New face or not, you just don't dress as normal as that."

"You haven't even seen me with the bowtie yet." The Doctor said with a grin. "And the tweed went wonderful with it, but _nooo_, Pond had to go and take it away from me." He puckered and crossed his arms, trying his best to look cross.

"You take care of yourself." Martha moved up to give him a goodbye hug, and he accepted gladly. "I'm always worrying about you. Both of us are."

Mickey then gave the Doctor a goodbye hug, and with a mockery salute, he disappeared into the TARDIS again. Martha was certain she'd see him again. And perhaps this time he wouldn't take to being named 'Rory'.

Mickey and Martha watched the TARDIS dematerialize, hand in hand, memories filled with images of the Doctor. Martha knew Mickey missed him too, despite all the mockery he and the Doctor shared.

"Come on." Mickey dragged her past where the TARDIS had been last, just as it faded into the background of the street. "We've got a Slitheen to catch."


	3. Lady Christina de Souza

_**Author's Note:**_

_Hello! New chapter update, woohoo! I'm actually not too happy with this one, but because I've left you waiting for almost a week, I decided it was time to post something up._

_The first bit is from no one in particular's point of view since I purely could not decide, but that's besides the point. After the linebreak everything is from Christina de Souza's point of view. She's again from Tennant's era and is in the holiday special "Planet of the Dead". She asked if she could travel with the Doctor but he denied._

_If you're not familiar with Planet of the Dead, this chapter will seem a little all over the place. And again with the spoilers. If you want to keep all the nice little surprises from the specials nice little surprises, then I recommend you don't read this chapter. You're welcome to read on nevertheless, but don't say I didn't warn you._

_Enjoy, anyhow. And please tell me what you think! Suggestions to companions are welcome in reviews or PMs :)_

**Exact Estimate**

* * *

"Is it just me, Doctor, or are all your past companions vaguely attractive?" Amy raised a fair point as the Doctor set new coordinates into the TARDIS.

He gave her a perplexed look before examining her, opening his mouth to retort, but then closed it again when he apparently realized what he was going to say wouldn't be appropriate.

Instead the Doctor grinned and asked, "You're calling Mickey attractive?"

"No!" Amy replied immediately, flashing a glance at Rory. "I mean, well, no offence to him but..." She trailed off, swallowing, gathering herself. "Martha. I was talking about Martha."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he plugged in coordinates, and Rory obviously caught it, because he grunted in amusement. Amy spun to face him, bewildered, but it was evident she missed the gesture.

"Mickey was with someone who was very important to me." The Doctor reminisced as he started his flying circuit around the console, flicking leavers and pushing buttons the whole way around. "He's a wonderful man, and I –"

"'Mickey the Idiot'." Amy recalled, scoffing. "_Ri_-ght."

"Old joke." He assured her, but she seemed unconvinced, so he added, "I only started to believe he was useful after he blew up Downing Street."

"That was _him_?" Rory asked in alarm.

"Well, yes." The Doctor answered sheepishly. "And me. With a couple of friends and the Prime Minister. _Three _Prime Ministers really." He paused as he threw another leaver up and gave the couple by the stairs a glance. "One of them was already dead; one of them was an alien and the last one I practically elected." He grinned.

Eager to change the subject from the Doctor, Rory queried, "Who are we visiting next?"

"I've set the coordinates for the London." The Doctor replied. "Christina de Souza. We only knew each other three or four hours and ended up saving the world together. Long story. Another time." He dismissed the obviously-interesting story with a wave of his hand. "_Doctor_, you let her fly a bus over London. So you rather quite like her."

"We're actually doing personal history now?" Rory questioned. "I thought it was more amusing to just throw me in there and see what happens."

The Doctor muttered something about someone named Jack and kissing, but then moved on to throw up a couple more leavers on his circuit of the console.

"You struggled with Martha." He eventually stated, pausing in his madness to expound something. "I want to see how long we can keep it up. And how many times you get kissed." He said the final part with a cheeky grin.

"Right." Rory seemed to agree to these terms, much to Amy's surprise. "Christine de Souza, wasn't it?" He asked, obviously most eager to move on.

"Christi-_na_." The Doctor corrected. "Otherwise, yes, correct." He beamed at Rory. "You met her on a double-decker, like I said before. The double-decker travelled through a portal to San Helios and with the help of Christina you saved all the people on board with anti-gravity clamps because the bus was buried in sand. When you came back through the portal and closed it with the assistance of a UNIT professor, she was arrested for theft. She was a jewel thief, and although you're not fond of crime, you still found yourself liking her. She asked to travel with you but you refused, claiming you've lost too many people." He paused to gather himself slightly. "When she was about to be driven to the police station you let her go and she flew the anti-gravity clamped bus over London and into the sunset." He finished.

"Sounds romantic." Amy commented almost sarcastically.

"She kissed you somewhere in there. Forget where." The Doctor added. "Memory loss tends to happen at old age." He grinned at the couple, but they only frowned in response. "Right, well, yes. She's back in London two years later and she's crime-free and happy."

The Doctor threw the final lever into thrust, throwing the TARDIS console room into a cacophony.

Throughout the madness, Rory shouted, "And we need to switch clothes!"

* * *

Christina de Souza was in a jewellery store. It had been a long time since she'd looked at jewels like this without them being in her hands and stolen. She grinned as she looked over all the beautiful diamond earrings and gold necklaces.

The glass was so tempting to break; shattered so easily. It was so easy to simply reach in and grab what was not hers and run off with it. How pretty the jewels looked in the twinkling light of the overhead blubs... How much they glistened whenever she would turn her head to examine the next shelf down.

She could just... distract the shopkeeper with her well-practiced charms and reach into the cabinet near the counter, pulling out the nearest –

She blinked the image away as she strolled out of the shop. She would have loved to make off with those diamonds or the gold, but no, she had been given a second chance. She was about to be carted off to prison for almost certainly a lifetime when the Doctor had saved her. He'd given her a second chance at life, and that was the first time Christina de Souza actually ever felt as if she was worth something. She was worth setting free and worth risking your freedom for. The Doctor had shown her she was worth much more than all the gold she could pocket and all the diamonds she could steal.

She still even remembered the kiss. His lips had been soft, just slightly parted, and a little too welcoming for her liking. She'd only known him for a couple of hours, but yet he'd welcomed her to kiss him. It was one of the strangest sensations she'd ever felt in her life.

As she strolled down the street aimlessly, she spotted another strange thing. As if right on cue, there was a blue police box standing on the corner of the road. At first she thought nothing of it, but as she thought back to what she had learned that life-changing day, she knew the Doctor's TARDIS was disguised as a police box. And to sum her morning up, there was a man standing outside, looking straight at her. He had two people behind him, a man and a woman, and they were both looking as well.

She was puzzled at first, not recognizing either three of them. But she remembered reading the UNIT archive on regeneration (she knew a thing or two about computer hacking), and she came to terms with the fact that the Doctor had regenerated. And he'd come to see her.

As she approached with a smile covering her face, she examined his new features. Slightly shorter than the last one, flat hair, kind eyes, stubble and the clothes that looked like they'd been put together at the last minute – black pants, shiny shoes, light blue undershirt and red suspenders. He was looking rather sheepish standing there, watching Christina closely as she approached.

When she neared him enough to be able to touch him, she enveloped him in a very tight hug. He hesitated slightly at first, but then he returned the hug.

"Only took you two years, didn't it?" Christina commented with a grin as the hug was broken. "And I must say that I quite like the new face." She touched her thumb to his chin lightly and smiled again.

"Things to do and places to go, you know." The Doctor responded. "I'm free now, so I thought – why not?" He partly shook her thumb from his face, apparently not fond of being touched.

"And you have companions, now?" Christina glanced at the male and female, who were both leaning on the TARDIS. "What happened to 'I've lost people before'?" She asked.

"It's a long story." The Doctor responded after swallowing.

Christina saw the uncertainty in the way he spoke to her, and it made her curious. This man was different to the previous incarnation of the Doctor. Although he _looked_ like the Doctor (ridiculous clothing, TARDIS and attractive female companion and her possible counterpart) he didn't seem to know what he was doing here.

Pushing aside the fact she had been denied, she asked, "Why not introduce me to your two companions?"

She saw the tension leave his face as he turned to his companions. The woman smiled soothingly, but the man grinned in what looked like amusement. Christina was good at reading expressions, and this just didn't seem right.

"Amy Pond." The Doctor gestured to the fire-haired girl, and she bowed her head at Christina. "And Rory Williams." He gestured to the man with the mop of untidy hair, who gave Christina a very big wave and a grin.

"So, uh, what did you do after you escaped on the bus?" The Doctor changed the subject to Christina.

And again, the tone of uncertainty was clear. Although he had the facts right and all the Doctor-like items, it just didn't seem right. Something was very, very wrong here.

"I flew all the way to Cardiff. Got told off by an American and ended up catching a bus back to London." She responded.

She caught Rory's eyes light up as she mentioned an American man. They only flickered for a brief second, whereas the Doctor's expression barely wavered.

"And thanks for wiping my records." She added with a sweet smile.

Rory looked puzzled and once again the Doctor's expression barely changed. As Christina examined the three time-travellers again, she realized that the Doctor could be any of these three people. Regeneration prompted him to be anyone here (even Amy, if that was her name) and the man in front of her could easily be someone else.

She also happened to know the Doctor had two hearts. Computer hacking gets you miles in minutes, and now Christina was actually grateful she hacked into the UNIT database. And so she moved right up close to the said-Doctor and hugged him again. He accepted her embrace with a puzzled expression.

Christina could feel one heart beating against her chest, but she couldn't feel the other. It turns out her theory was right. She pulled away when she realized, a slight smirk plastering her face. She was absolutely certain the man she'd just hugged wasn't the Doctor, although he was dressed like an idiot and seemed to know everything. He only had one heart.

She was certain the Doctor wouldn't have regenerated into a female, and so Amy was out of the question. It was almost certainly said-Rory who was the Timelord. But Christina wanted to have some fun.

"You're so sweet, you are." She commented as she began to caress the said-Doctor's chin gently. "Coming to see me. I knew you'd change your mind eventually." She cooed as she cupped his cheek in her hand, moving right in close to him. "I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss..." She trailed off, her breath tickling his neck.

He seemed to shiver in what she hoped was pleasure as she ran a hand down his chest – her lips puckered, and her eyes locked with his. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him into her, pressing his lips onto hers. It was the same fashion as before. Only the said-Doctor didn't seem too fond of her kiss.

He took it for one or two seconds, apparently recovering from the shock of Christina kissing him, but then pushed her away and wiped his mouth. She caught said-Amy's glare at her and she smirked again.

The said-Doctor cleared his throat and decided the ground was more interesting than anything else around them. Said-Amy looked stricken and said-Rory looked very, very amused.

"You should know, Doctor, I'm rather good at reading people." She began once the silence had become unbearable.

Only said-Rory was looking at her now, his lips curved into a smirk that mirrored hers.

"And you're a _much_ better kisser than that. I'm sure there's a nice hotel nearby where we could arrange something." She added with a purr.

"Alright!" Said-Rory cried suddenly. "You win, you win – congratulations, Christina!" He threw his hands in the air whilst throwing a look at said-Doctor.

Apparently said-Rory (who was apparently the Doctor) didn't want anything to do with anything that went beyond kissing. Said-Doctor (who was apparently Rory) and said-Amy (who was apparently actually Amy) didn't seem all too happy about Christina's kiss.

"I was just having a little fun." The real Doctor claimed. "No reason to ask for... _favours_ from my companions. Rory's a wonderful fellow but he's got Amy all to himself. You're welcome to kiss me, you know. Kissing is good." He grinned in Christina's direction, but she only rolled her eyes in response.

"It took me a couple of minutes." Christina explained, ignoring the Doctor's preposition. "But firstly, well, Rory seemed really out of place here. He had all the facts and kudos to you for telling him, but he was so uncertain. Almost apprehensive." She paused to look at Rory, who was talking about something with Amy. "He's got ridiculous clothes on, which is why I first thought he was you, but when I hugged him the second time I realized he only had one heart."

Just to confirm, Christina pressed her hand on the right side (the Doctor's right) of the Doctor's chest. Her suspicions were confirmed went she felt the steady thump of a heart under her palm.

"You may be able to fool other people, silly Timelord, but I have well-trained eyes." She touched the top of his nose with her finger cheekily when she finished her sentence. "Very good try though, very good try indeed. I congratulate you."

The Doctor chuckled and then spread his arms, showing he wanted a hug. Christina complied and hugged the real Doctor. She nuzzled up to his shoulder and rested her chin there.

When she was comfortable she whispered, "You don't look right in denim."

She felt him shift when he laughed quietly, and then he whispered back, "It was forced to change. Apparently Rory looked too normal."

The Doctor broke the hug first. Christina kept her hands on the Timelord's shoulders, as she didn't want him running back to the TARDIS just yet. She sighed gently, trying to put her finger on what to say to him.

She settled on, "What was the real reason you didn't take me with you?" He opened his mouth to respond, but she spoke over him by adding, "You took Amy and Rory with you, and you don't seem all too paranoid of losing them."

The Doctor seemed to fumble for words. He snuck a glance at his companions, who were still talking a few paces away. He then looked back at Christina. His eyes were suddenly sad.

"I'm scared I'm going to lose them every day." He responded truthfully. "I'm scared I'm going to lose all of the people who travel with me. They all leave someday, dead or alive. I barely get to choose which." He paused to swallow, sneaking another glance at Amy and Rory. "I didn't take you because I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think. A lot had happened and people only made me aggravated. I loved your company – you're a wonderful woman and I never would have missed those hours with you for the world." A sad smile formed on his face. "But it just felt right to be alone."

"I understand." Christina assured him, patting his shoulder gently.

"Thank you." The Doctor smiled at her and she found herself returning it. "I should be going now, anyway. I'm sure you have places to go and things to do."

"I'm sure you do, as well." Christina replied. "And I'll always be here waiting if you ever need someone." She added.

"Thank you." The Timelord thanked her again with a smile.

As he turned to enter the TARDIS behind him, calling Amy and Rory inside, he paused suddenly and turned back to Christina, who had just started to turn to walk away.

"Christina."

She turned to face him again. He stepped down from the doorway to meet her again. She found his hands on either side of her face, and then suddenly, his lips were on hers. She accepted gratefully, locking her hands behind his neck.

He pulled away a little too quickly seconds later, giving her a huge smile, which she returned. The Doctor then gave her a small wave (which she also returned) and slipped into the TARDIS. Christina de Souza watched as the police box faded into oblivion. She turned to walk away, the smile from after the kiss still etched on her.

It stayed on her face for the rest of the day.


	4. Captain Jack Harkness

_**Author's Note:**_

_Thanks to all those who have reviewed, favourited and followed! It all means a lot and I'm sincerely glad you're enjoying this story. I'm certainly having fun writing it, too. :)_

_This chapter is going to be for the wonderful Captain Jack Harkness! Again, the first half is the occurrence after the previous chapter, and then the next visit. I actually wrote this chapter three times out, since the first time I wasn't happy with how it turned out. This has been edited by a friend of mine, so hopefully there aren't any many mistakes._

_If you do spot on, be sure you tell me and I'll fix it up right away._

_And oh, spoiler alert! Spoilers for End of Days in Torchwood series 2 and Children of Earth Day Four in Torchwood series 3. And possibly a couple from End of Time, again._

_Now, away from the author's notes and onto the story! Enjoy! :)_

**_Exact Estimate_**

* * *

**T**he Doctor set the coordinates for the vortex as he moved around the console once more. He hadn't planned on kissing Christina, but the moment just happened to present itself. When she'd kissed Rory he found himself growing jealous. He had honestly liked Christina a lot, and if he could go back and travel with her, he would do so without a second thought. But now that chance was gone... And there's that River woman who keeps popping up everywhere and flirting with him.

"Doctor, you alright?" Amy called from her place on the jump-seat.

Rory was sitting next to the Scot, fingers entwined in hers. His stomach lurched when he ran his eyes over their hands, realizing he would have loved to hold hands with Christina, just to feel her palm against his. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the images of Christina that were popping up, but realized Amy probably would have deemed it as a response to her question.

"Oh, yes Amelia, I'm fine." He responded as soon as he realized his mistake.

And there was the second mistake – using Amy's full name. Usually when he did that – according to her that was – it meant something was up. And now she was going to ask questions.

"You shook your head before." Rory added helpfully.

"Just thinking." He assured them with a gentle smile.

"About Christina?" Amy asked. "Doctor, we don't mind if you _do_ want to go off with her to one of those h –"

Perhaps not ask questions about his well-being, but more or less poke holes in what wasn't hers to know about...

"Not in that way, Pond!" The Doctor exclaimed, feeling the blood rise to his cheeks in embarrassment. "She was just a friend, is all. Nothing more, nothing less." He stated, but just for good measures he added, "F-r-i-e-n-d."

"You're blushing even more than you were before." Amy teased. "You like her, don't you?" She had her matter-of-fact tone of voice equipped now.

The Doctor then put a hand to one of his cheeks, and it was hot to touch. He was indeed blushing, but he was still glad Amy didn't see him kiss Christina. Though, he assumed she suspected something had happened when he'd gone back outside briefly, even after saying goodbye. If the Scot did, though, she never hinted it.

"Timelords do not... _like_, Pond." He huffed. "We –"

"Bollocks!" Amy declared. "The Doctor likes Christina, the Doctor likes Christina!" She began to tease him in a sing-song voice.

Rory sat idly next to her as she did, glancing to and fro from the Doctor and Amy. He would give the Doctor an apologizing look, whereas the Doctor could only hope he was giving Amy a glare. Once the Scot grew tired of her chant, she glanced at the time rotor and then at the Doctor.

"Where are we going next, lover boy?" She still continued to tease him, and the Doctor uttered a heavy sigh.

"We're in the vortex at the moment, Fred. But the coordinates are now set for a spaceship in the middle of nowhere. That's where Jack's biological signature is, at least."

Amy's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of her dismissed nickname, but she didn't comment. The Doctor caught Rory's grin – apparently even he was growing tired of Amy's teasing. The Doctor could only ponder how much Rory had been teased throughout his childhood friendship with the fire haired girl.

"Who are we going to see, exactly?" Rory questioned this time, since Amy had no rebuttal to what the Doctor had said.

"A very special American." The Doctor responded with a grin. "The very same one Christina mentioned, as a matter of fact. I have ten quid on you getting kissed again, Rory."

"By a man?" Rory didn't seem too horrified about the idea – he looked more or less uncertain.

"Live a little!" The Doctor exclaimed with a grin. "He's kissed me once before and I'm sure you can survive just one. If it gets too much just tell me and I'll come out with it. Though, he's got quite the eye. He might spot it quicker than Christina did." He said. "Do you want personal history, _Doctor_?" The Doctor queried.

"Just a little." Rory answered. "Last time there was too much to remember." He said.

The Doctor, nodding in agreement, began, "You first met him in your ninth face; last saw him in your tenth. He used to run Torchwood in Cardiff. He's immortal – a fixed point in time and space – and so you try your best to avoid him. You left him when you regenerated into your tenth face because you were a little caught up. He used his vortex manipulator to get back to Earth and waited a full two centuries for you to come back."

"Wow." Amy commented once the Doctor paused for breath. "So were you and this American... together?"

The Doctor decided not to answer that, and so he continued, "When you finally did meet him again you were sort of seized by a rogue Timelord and tortured for a year and a bit. He shot at your TARDIS – which was a paradox machine at the time – to revert Earth back to its former state. And then he ran back to his Torchwood team after you asked him to travel with you again." He paused again. "The final meeting was more or less just a couple of glances, but you hooked him up with a space pilot called Alonso. That was the last time you saw him."

"And you're not in love with him?" Amy questioned teasingly.

"Other way around." The Doctor answered as he began his circuit around the console again. "Oh, and his name is Jack. _Captain_ Jack." He paused to laugh nervously at something that wasn't there. "A captain without a ship."

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness was happy for the first time in a long time. Not because he had a drink in his hand, but because Alonso was at his hip and was bickering for the first time since he'd met him. The man had always been quiet and kept to himself, and had barely had a drop of alcohol. He'd only drunk a glass in the bar Jack had met him in, but that was apparently the first glass of alcohol he'd had in his life.

Jack scoffed down the rest of his drink in one large gulp and turned to Alonso, a rather (and hopefully) seductive grin placed on his face.

"Ready to head up to my room, then?" He shouted over the loud music, the grin barely wavering as he spoke.

Alonso nodded approvingly, pausing in his chat with the bartender in a language Jack couldn't recognize. Jack grabbed onto the timid man's elbow, drawing him away from the bar and the large crowd. They turned two or three corners, until they were met with a lift.

"No ideas now." Jack warned his date with a grin. "It can wait till we get to my room, got it?"

Alonso nodded again, apparently having lost his bickering sense the moment they'd left the bar. He'd been quite happy chatting to the bartender about whatever it was they were talking about. His monotone voice was rather nice when it was heard extensively, actually.

They entered the lift still with their arms linked, Jack's grin widening by the minute. The ride didn't take long, since Jack and Alonso's room was only three floors above the bar. Once outside again, Jack turned two or three corners before turning to his room on the left. He let Alonso in first and then turned to follow, glancing down the hallway as he did.

Firstly he turned to enter his room, but then did a double take when he realized what was standing a few metres away.

"Alonso!" Jack called from the doorway. "I'll be a minute. Got someone I need to see quickly." He shut the door abruptly in front of him, and then turned to the police box blocking the corridor.

On his second look he noticed three people (how did he not notice them the first time?). One was leaning against the wall, staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed. The second was next to the first, sitting on the floor with her legs sprawled out in front of her and her hands in her lap. The third was leaning against the TARDIS, gazing at Jack.

"Doctor?" Jack asked sharply, which caused the other two people to register the immortal man's presence in the corridor.

"Ah... Jack!" The man leaning against the TARDIS exclaimed. "Took you a while, didn't it?" His tone was awkward, but Jack didn't mind – he was used to this behaviour from the Doctor when he was around.

"You didn't say he looked _this_ good." Jack heard the redhead mutter to no one in particular, but when she saw him looking at her, she went bright red.

Jack came to terms with the fact that the man against the TARDIS was a new incarnation of the Doctor, and the other two were companions. He had to give it to the Timelord, too – he always picked the attractive ones.

The Doctor's new features were interesting. He was shorter than the previous him and his hair was flat, a trait that obviously did not come from his previous face. His nose was rather large, but the nice eyes made up for it. The way he held himself was different, as well. He was less confident, less proud. Much more depleted than the Doctor he'd seen in the bar that one time, if that was possible.

"Do I get to kiss this one?" Jack asked him with a cheeky grin. "I have to say, though, the last one was still my favourite. Rose always called you foxy, didn't she? Because I _have_ to agree..."

"Foxy?" The Doctor questioned. "How was I foxy last time?" He seemed to be rather alarmed at his new applying adjective, surprisingly.

"You know..." Jack trailed off, fumbling for a way to phrase it properly. "Skinny, tall, lanky. Nice ass. Things like that. Foxy." He explained after a long pause. He then grinned and looked to the Doctor's lower half, continuing, "Does this one have a nice ass, too?"

"I'd like to think so." He responded, slightly mirroring Jack's cheekily grin, but not following his gaze.

"And suspenders, Doc? Really?" He gestured to the red suspenders which were clinging onto the Doctor's shoulders. "They were _my_ thing. And the military coat, which I still actually have managed to keep." He looked to his door next to him, hoping Alonso would be patient enough to wait in his room for him.

"What's wrong with suspenders?" He asked almost defensively, making Jack chuckle.

"I never said anything was wrong with them, Doc. They actually rather suit you." He responded. "Perhaps a different colour, though. Red isn't really your colour, unless you get a jacket that goes with the red..."

"He _did_ have a tweed jacket." The male companion interrupted, almost glaring at the female. "But I think Mrs Pond went and hid it from it. Nasty little one, she is." He gave the still-sitting girl a little kick and she yelped in surprise.

"It was tweed, Rory!" Amy exclaimed. "Who in their right mind wears _tweed_?"

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the companion's responses. This was exactly what the Doctor ordered (no pun intended) – happy and bubbly companions who were up for a little joke. Jack knew the previous Doctor was empty and heavily affected by the events of the Time War, and even more after the Master's death. But this Doctor seemed happier, and that fact made Jack happy.

"So, Doc." Jack began after a pause. "New companions, hey? Care to introduce me to the cohort?"

The Doctor turned to look at his two companions. His eyes flickered in annoyance briefly for a moment, leaving Jack puzzled, but he decided not to comment.

"This is Amy Pond." He introduced the woman first, and Jack caught her blushing again. "She's taken... so no ideas." He warned the immortal man with a hint of a smile.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack introduced himself to the woman with a bow of his head. "And don't worry Doc. I've got Alonso." He glanced to the door again, eager to get in there with his partner again.

"And this is Rory Williams." He then introduced the tweed-loving man. "Amy's husband." He seemed to spit the last word at Rory, and Rory smiled at the Timelord sweetly as he did.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack introduced himself again, this time moving to shake the man's hand.

"He warned me about you, Captain." Rory began gravely. "Straight and married, thank _you_."

Jack stifled a chuckle, noting the man's serious tone, but he said anyway, "So is spaghetti. Until it gets h –"

"That's enough, thank _you_." Rory interjected cuttingly again, making a loose fist when he finished his sentence.

This time Jack did laugh, and Amy joined in. Rory looked amused and the Doctor looked slightly bewildered. Jack still had plenty of questions, but he wasn't sure if the Timelord was up for answering them.

"So, Doc, how have you been?" He decided on the broader questions, hoping to open up sensitive subjects later when the subject rolled around to it. He noted that Alonso was still waiting, however, and would have to depart sooner or later.

"Oh, good. You know. Up and down." He responded.

"Still not ginger, hey?" He asked jokingly.

It seemed the joke Rose had told him about went completely over the Timelord's head. Jack did however catch Rory stifle a laugh, but the Doctor's expression didn't change.

"Right." He said, dismissing the lack of reaction. "How'd the regeneration go? I see you've painted the TARDIS too... did you get her redone with the change?" He couldn't help but notice the TARDIS was bluer than it was back in 2008.

"Oh, regeneration was alright. I was, uh, by myself though." He replied sheepishly. "And yeah, I got it redone. I think it looks nice, don't you?"

Jack couldn't help but pick up on calling the TARDIS an 'it'. The Doctor always called the TARDIS a 'she', no matter the circumstance. The time machine would always be a she, even if she recognized herself as a male consciousness.

And then Jack realized, stupidly, that because regeneration prompted dramatic change to bodily features, the Doctor could be any one of these three people here. For all he knew, the Doctor could be Amy. Jack would rather like a regeneration to leave the Doctor as a female, actually...

Jack blinked the images that were rising in his mind away. He turned to look at Rory, Amy and the Doctor in turn. He then decided to quiz the apparent-Timelord, just to see if his suspicions were true.

"So, uh, Doc. I heard about the Master incident on Earth a while back. What happened with that?"

"Oh, uh..."

"You're not the Doctor, are you?" Jack asked in monotone, jumping straight to the point.

The apparent-Doctor seemed rather shocked at the accusation so suddenly, having been in normal subjects a minute ago. He looked to his companions for help, but neither Amy nor Rory (if that was their names) offered any help.

"Just tell me." Jack almost-demanded, growing suddenly annoyed. He wanted to be with Alonso right now. "Are you the Doctor, or not?"

"Right, Jack, no need to get worked up." The apparent-Rory began, sounding most Doctor-like. "I was just playing a little joke. New face, you know. No one knows. It was funny because it took you almost ten minutes to figure it out."

And so now Rory was apparently the Doctor. Jack did feel rather annoyed, yes. And rather stupid since he'd been tricked by a human. But Jack had to give it to the man; he was good. He had everything relatively spot on – facts, clothes, responses and speech. But a couple of little things slipped, and he didn't seem to know who the Master was...

"How many other people have you done this to?" Jack asked the real Timelord, who had moved right in front of Jack.

The real companions had moved away from the two time-travellers and gone to talk amongst themselves against the TARDIS.

"Two." He responded. "Or three, really." He corrected himself. "Martha and Mickey – did you know they're married now? – and Christina."

"Christina..?" Jack queried.

"Oh, right! Met her quite a while ago now. Nice woman. She asked to travel with me but I denied." He paused to stare at Jack for a moment, and then added sharply, "She said she met you! In Cardiff! You told her off for flying that bus."

"That was Christina?" Jack asked in alarm. "She told me she knew you, and I figured with the anti-gravity clamps and all..." He trailed off. "Tosh wiped her records. She was about to be trialled to a lifetime in prison." His voice almost cracked when he said Tosh, but he managed to cover it up with a grunt.

"I'm sorry, Jack." The Doctor apologized out of the blue. "I heard about what happened to your team, and I'm so sorry."

The Doctor soon had the immortal man enveloped in a tight hug, which he happily returned. Jack planted a kiss in the Doctor's hair as if to say, "I'm sorry too."

Instead he said, "I was too busy focusing on everyone else I completely forgot about them..." He paused to swallow and to gather himself. "Gwen's the only one who made it."

"The nice Welsh girl?" The Doctor asked.

Jack nodded, and then replied, "She's pregnant now. With her boyfriend, Rhys. They're happy and still alive. The only two I managed to save." His voice cracked again, and the Doctor tightened the hug further, if that was possible.

"It wasn't your fault, Jack." The Timelord said into Jack's shoulder, muffling his voice slightly.

Jack didn't exactly have an answer for that. He knew it was – Cray had killed both Tosh and Owen at the same time, and he hadn't been there to save them. Too busy playing Doctor, too busy thinking about other things... And Ianto. Poor Ianto. He was so caught up in the 456, so caught up in saving the world that he completely forgot about Ianto, standing next to him the whole time. He killed him. Jack killed him.

Jack found himself crying in the Doctor's embrace, and he saw the two companions looking at him curiously.

"Now, don't you have an Alonso to get back to?" The Doctor changed the subject suddenly, once he decided his denim jumper (that was totally not his clothing) was wet enough.

Jack looked back to the door to his room, wondering how patient the pilot could be. He wondered if he'd be told off when he went back in, or if he had been listening to the whole exchange outside.

"I never properly thanked you for that." Jack sniffed. "And I would have stayed with you if you asked me. You regenerated alone, didn't you?"

"It felt right to do it alone." He responded almost sadly. "But I didn't do it alone, oh no. The Ood were there. They sung me to sleep, if you want me to go all dramatic about it."

"At least she was with you last time." Jack reminded him, and he felt the Timelord tense in their extended embrace.

"She's got him now. And I've got Amy and Rory." The Doctor eventually responded, apparently stuck on what to say about Rose. "I've moved on."

Jack decided not to comment – he knew the Doctor wasn't over Rose. Or any of his other companions. He knew he missed them; he could see it in his eyes. The absence and the hollowness every time he looked up – it was there. Although he seemed happier in this incarnation, it didn't mean he wasn't missing people. But Jack pushed the thought to one side – he needed to get back to Alonso.

Slowly, Jack withdrew from the embrace. He didn't know quite how to ask what he wanted in conclusion, but the Doctor seemed to know as he examined Jack with a small smile.

"Just one, then." He said.

Amy and Rory seemed quite intrigued when Jack touched lips with the Timelord. He took to entwining his fingers in the Doctor's ridiculous mop of hair as he kissed him, the Doctor somewhat returning the favour. The Doctor broke first, looking rather flustered as he drew away. Jack was smiling wildly, and once the Doctor saw Jack's smile, it was immediately mirrored.

"If you ever need anything, Doc, just call." Jack tapped his vortex manipulator as he turned to put his hand on the doorknob. "I'll always be here, you know. If you ever need someone."

"Thank you, Jack." He responded with a bow of his head.

Jack then turned to enter the room, finding Alonso on the bed, twiddling his fingers impatiently. As he sat down next to the pilot, the TARDIS dematerialization noise filled the room, causing Alonso to perk up and look around.

"What was that?" He asked once the noise had faded.

Jack turned to him, attempting to brush off his knowing smile and answered, "Probably the vents."

"Right." Alonso seemed satisfied, accepting Jack's preposition with a nod of his head.

"Where were we, then?" Jack asked after a brief pause.

Alonso smiled.


	5. Grace Holloway

**_Author's Note:_**

_Thank you so much to all those who have been reviewing, favouriting and following! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!_

_I'm sorry that this update is a little belated... I've had trouble deciding on the ending. I've re-written it possibly seven or eight times, and I can assure I'm still not one hundred percent sure. I hope you do find it adequate, however. If you don't please inform me, and I'll see to changing it accordingly. :)_

_This chapter will be a little different from the others, and will also include a companion I suspect not many people know about.__** Grace Holloway**__ is from the Doctor Who television movie in 1989. I recommend if you don't know her to either read up on her first or watch the actual movie, or this chapter will probably make absolutely no sense. xD_

_Again, usual drill! Any errors or mishaps please do inform! Review, favourite, follow - all that jazz. And most importantly... enjoy! :)_

**_Exact Estimate_**

* * *

The Doctor flew the TARDIS into the vortex. He was debating between visiting two people, although he was swayed to visit one more than the other. He was distracted from his silent debate by Rory approaching him, slightly smirking.

"Ten quid." He demanded, holding out his hand.

The Doctor, most confused by this, fumbled around in his pockets anyway. He never kept money on him, so he didn't know why he bothered checking in the first place.

"Why do you need ten quid?" The Doctor eventually asked, when he was confident his pockets were dry.

"You said ten quid on my husband getting kissed again, raggedy man." Amy piped up loudly. "I didn't see any action between him and that sexy American, and so you owe him ten quid." She explained.

"I wasn't actually being serious..." The Doctor began. "You honestly think I keep ten quid on me? I may have trans-dimensional pockets, Ponds, but it doesn't mean I have ten quid." He patted the trouser pockets just to show he didn't.

Rory sighed heavily, and then looked to Amy for help. She obviously didn't offer any, since Rory trudged away in defeat.

"And sexy American, Pond?" The Doctor asked. "He has that effect on everyone, so don't think you're the first."

"Even you?" She asked. "Because wow, you didn't seem one bit worried about that kiss."

"He's kissed me before – nothing new." The Doctor dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "But hey, even I've got to live a little." He smiled. "Jack's an old friend. Very important to me." A certain blonde drifted to the surface of his memories, but he pushed her back down.

The Doctor then felt the conversation from earlier rise up this time, but all three occupants of the TARDIS pushed it aside. He was certainly not in love with Jack.

"And yes Doctor, sexy. I can look at over men, thank you very much." Amy began again, the Doctor turned just in time to catch Rory's eye roll.

"You do have a very loyal husband, Pond." The Doctor chortled. "If he's letting you look at Jack..." Rory gave the Doctor a warning glance from his place next to Amy, and so he stopped.

"You said you met him in 1941, though?" Rory decided to be factual. "Is he eternally youthful, or something? You said he was immortal, too." He said.

"Aging very slowly." The Doctor answered. "I've seen him die, as a matter of fact. But you can't tell him that."

"Spoilers." Amy echoed River's signature line. Both the Doctor and Rory ignored that.

"You said he'd have a keen eye, too." Rory continued. "It took him a long time." He paused. "You said things had happened, though?" He seemed to recall the Doctor's mention of Jack's team.

"The Torchwood thing I told you about before." The Doctor answered. "I don't know quite what happened, but I know he lost all of them. And it affected him lots... possibly the most I've seen him care about something." He said. "And so, as I was dying, I set him up with dear Alonso and it seems to have taken his mind off things."

"That's good, then." Rory commented, unsure of what else to say.

"I hope it was." The Timelord reverberated. "I really hope it was."

"He looks pretty happy." Amy started up again. "All dazzling smiles and twinkling eyes as he was talking to you. And Rory." She said.

"It's very easy to put on a mask, Pond." The Doctor stated.

"What? Do you speak from experience?" She retorted rather sharply, and suddenly both Ponds were looking right at him, waiting for his answer.

"No." He replied sheepishly. "I'm fine, if that's what you're implying." He turned to face the TARDIS console so they couldn't see his eyes watering. He pretended to flick a few switches to set coordinates, although they were already fixed for America.

"So why do you want to see them all again?" Rory queried this time, which surprised the Doctor.

"Catching up. You know." He replied with a wave of his hand, still pretending to be occupied. "It's nice to go and see them. Play a prank." He smiled, even though they couldn't see. "There's one or two I want to be myself with, though. I'll leave them until last."

Silence from the Ponds announced he had said enough already. He wiped his eyes, noticing he was indeed starting to tear up in the conversation about his past companions. Martha and Mickey were the only ones who actually asked if he was fairing okay.

"Who next, then?" Rory eventually broke the awkward silence.

"Her name is Grace Holloway." The Doctor informed the nurse. "She's a doctor. Met and killed my seventh incarnation, helped the eighth save the world." He smiled.

"She killed you?" Amy asked in alarm.

"I don't blame her." He laughed shakily. But he covered with, "I got shot. And when they were taking x-rays, they saw I had two hearts. Assumed it to be a double exposure." He paused. "They operated assuming I was human... I had two hearts, meant the rate was much faster. They assumed it was in fibrillation. They operated... killed me." He smiled weakly again.

"Wow." Amy and Rory commented together.

"Grace was the head surgeon. Wonderful woman." He said. "She helped me. A little trouble with a rogue Timelord and the Eye of Harmony, but nothing new there. When I asked her to travel with me she declined."

"You've mentioned rogue Timelords twice now." Rory pointed out. "I thought you were the last of your race."

He heard Amy slap his knee to shut him up. He was glad she did, because he wasn't really up for explaining what had happened to Gallifrey and how the Master had survived right now. Seeing all his companions and pranking them was proving to be difficult.

"Do you need to know anything else?" The Doctor changed the subject back to Grace.

"_How_ did you save the world with her, exactly?" He was getting good at this Doctor Persona thing now.

"With a beryllium clock." He answered. "And by defeating the rogue Timelord, of course. But I doubt she'll ask about it. You last saw her in the year 2000, as well." He paused and thought, simply wondering if he needed any more information.

"That's it?" Rory asked to confirm.

The Doctor nodded, content, but then he thought of one final thing.

"Oh... that's right. She might hit you."

* * *

Grace Holloway had just finished her shift. It was around midnight. She'd had way too much coffee, and so she sincerely doubted sleep was possible tonight. She found her way to the car, and slumped into the driver's seat once the doors were unlocked. She was positively exhausted.

She rested her head on the wheel, taking a moment to catch herself. She closed her eyes and simply listened to the sound of breathing, slow and calmer than it should be. A patient in her surgery ward had died just hours before, and she had the liberty of telling the family about it. That was possibly the most horrible thing about being a doctor.

Eventually she drove her, finding her way back to her house in the night. She fumbled for her house keys as she walked up the pathway, almost tripping over one of the steps on the way there. She finally found her way inside after three attempts at slipping the key into the lock.

Grace was determined to head straight to bed once she got in, but it seemed the world had decided otherwise.

She walked into the front room, eyes glued to the floor as she walked. She'd lost the energy to hold her head up. That was when she walked into something dark blue and awfully hard, and she fell to the floor, unable to find the strength to steady herself.

"Grace?" A gentle voice asked.

A hand appeared before her and she took it unconsciously. The owner pulled her off the floor, and then placed both hands on her shoulders.

Grace then actually took the liberty of looking up at her saviour. He was a rather handsome man, but seemed genuinely unsure. His hair was flat and boring, and his nose noticeably big. His eyes were kind and big as he looked at her, and his mouth was curved into a slight smile.

"Hi... uh. If you're here about that appointment I missed last week..." She was most unsure of what this man was doing in her house... and was most unsure of what she'd just managed to walk into. "Long day at work, sorry. Can we do this in the morning?" She dismissed him by yanking herself from his grip and trudging off towards the bedroom again. She wouldn't get to sleep, though.

That was, until, she caught the deep blue in the corner of her eye again. She spun, flustered, to find the rest of the shade and had to grip onto the doorframe to keep herself upright. She immediately looked to the man who had helped her up, and a smile graced her lips.

"It's you, isn't it?" Grace asked, now deciding to approach him again. "I'm sorry for not realizing... Like I said; long day." She invited him to sit on the couch as she plopped down herself.

As she sat she noticed the two other people in the room, gazing at her and the Doctor. She invited them to sit, too. The man refused with a small shake of his head, but the woman sat next to the Doctor.

"I'm sorry I left it so long." The Doctor apologised. "I should have come to visit you years ago." He smiled, and Grace smiled too.

"You changed again." She breathed. "Not because some stupid doctor made a mistake with some sedative, was it?" She asked, half joking, but also half serious.

"It's a long story." The Doctor dismissed telling the story, and Grace assumed it was personal for him. "But it wasn't your fault. Believe me, Grace." He smiled.

"If you say so." She smiled back.

There was a brief pause where the female companion shifted awkwardly, and the male uncrossed and then recrossed his arms, examining the Doctor and Grace.

"So... Finally got people who can put up with you?" She joked.

The Doctor laughed shakily and then said, "Yeah. Amy and Rory are wonderful."

"I regret saying no, now." Grace said quietly. "I think about it. Every day. What could have happened if I said yes. I could be travelling the stars with you." She continued. "But I suppose I'll be getting too old for it soon." She smiled weakly.

"No matter how old you are, Grace, it still doesn't mean I don't think you were so amazing all those years ago." The Doctor answered. "And you're still amazing now, of course. An actual Doctor. And then there's me." He chuckled again.

"You're too flattering, you are." Grace laughed. "Thank you for coming to visit. It means so much." She then smiled. "But it's almost one am, and I'm sure you have better things to do." She said.

"You want to go to bed?" Grace assumed the man's name was Rory as he asked. The actual doctor gave Rory a 'congratulations, captain obvious' look in response. "Oh, right. Yes. Maybe we should leave her be, Doctor." He turned to the Doctor, a smile dancing on his face all of a sudden.

"You will come back though, won't you?" Grace found herself almost pleading.

"I'll try my best." The Doctor answered with a small smile.

"But before you go... I lost those x-rays of your two hearts back in 1999." She set her hand on his thigh as he was about to get up. "Do you mind if I... you know? Get some proof for myself?"

The Doctor and Rory exchanged glances, and then both of them glanced at Amy. Grace was puzzled by this.

"Is there a problem?" Grace found herself asking. "Are x-rays bad for you, or something? I understand if they are..." She trailed off, annoyed with herself. She didn't even have an x-ray machine at home, and she wasn't taking him back to the hospital to x-ray him. "I'll just get the stethoscope." She announced, knowing she did actually have one of those.

Grace heard bickering from the two people, one alien back in the main room as they left, and she couldn't help but wonder what that glance meant.

She pushed the nagging thought to one side when she found the stethoscope. She picked it out of the draw and then jogged back to the main room, eager to prove to herself the Doctor was actually real... and she didn't dream everything those ten years ago.

When she entered all three friends were standing and looking at each other. They all looked up Grace, and she couldn't help but notice the Doctor's shirt was already half off to make the stethoscope reading easier. She also couldn't help but notice Rory and Amy looked they were about to burst into a fit of giggles.

"It might be a little cold." Grace warned the Timelord with a little smile, and then pushed the two hearing buds into her ears.

She then pressed the metal circle to the left side of the Doctor's chest and heard the soothing sound of his heart beating. And then she moved it over to the right...

"You've only got one heart."

Grace pulled away, slightly sheepish and slightly annoyed. No, scratch that. Absolutely annoyed. She turned to the man introduced as Rory and then pressed the stethoscope into the right side of his chest. He was surprised at first, jumping when it touched the denim of his jacket, but then realized what she was doing. She felt her face flush when she heard the thump-thump of a heart in her ears.

"You ignorant little –"

"Grace." The two-hearted man interrupted. "I'm sorry. I was just playing a little joke."

"– bastard."

"Grace." He said more forcedly this time. "I thought it would be funny."

"No! You come in here all TARDIS and two hearts, but only to play a practical joke on me?" She cried. "I haven't seen you in almost ten years! Ten freaking years, Doctor, and then you come back to simply amuse yourself?" She literally ripped the stethoscope from her ears and threw it to the ground.

"I've done it to other people too, Grace. Please don't think you're the first." He began to reason. She saw his two companions back up slowly, away from the argument that was slowly heating.

"Did they find it funny, too?" She asked bitterly.

"They –"

"I certainly wouldn't be impressed if a man I hadn't seen in almost ten years came waltzing into my house sporting this bigger-on-the-inside time machine and then pretended to be someone else!" She exclaimed. "I waited for you, Doctor. I can't tell you how much I regretted saying no. And so I waited, but you never came back." She paused to wipe her eyes. "But now you come, only to play a prank on me? So much for waiting."

"Grace." The Doctor said loudly and firmly, tears leaking from his own eyes. "Everyone else reacted fine... I didn't think it would hurt you. I –"

"Get out." Grace interjected, pointing towards the TARDIS.

"Excuse me?" He questioned.

"Get _out_."

"Grace..."

She pulled out her phone, fingering hovering over the ninth button. "Get the hell out, or I'm going to call the police." She threatened.

He agreed with a rigid nod. He gestured for his companions to follow him inside. He turned to face her once more, tears now rolling down his cheeks. She'd upset him, most obviously. He whispered something as he walked inside his time machine, but Grace didn't hear it over the sounds of the engines. The TARDIS was gone before she could blink.

But out of the brewing wind, a brown piece of paper fluttered down in front of her feet. Subconsciously, she reached down to pick it up whilst wiping her eyes. Grace turned over the paper and was surprised to find words. She skimmed over them at first, uninterested, but then decided to read it.

_Dear Grace,_

_If you're reading this, it probably means I have the right address. That's certainly a first for me. I've never sent letters before. I've never needed to. I'd always pop in and out in the TARDIS and then simply be on my way. But now I realize it's probably the right thing to do by sending this to you. I hope you don't hate me for finding out your address._

Oh god... It must have fallen out of his jacket pocket as he turned around. She didn't know if it was intentional or not, but she pulled herself to keep reading.

_You're one of the most stunning women I've ever met, and I've met so many in my long lifetime. You're certainly in the top ten for best kisser, too. I just wanted to say thank you, though. Thank you for putting up with me whilst I was solving the Master's little issues. I would have gotten nowhere without you._

_I'll even go as far as to say I would have died without you, and I believe that's the case. A couple of parts are still a little fuzzy._

Grace fell into the sofa behind her, unsure of which way to react to reading this. It's obvious he'd written this letter long ago, but it had been discarded until now.

_Thank you for being there, Grace. I want you to know I would have loved you to travel with me, but I understand why you denied. I'll admit it's dangerous. It gets much worse than what we did that night. I was as scared as you were about your answer. I've lost people before, Grace, and it would have pained me beyond belief to have lost you. In a way, I'm glad you said no. I wouldn't know what to do when you finally decided to move on._

_There isn't much else to say, really. There isn't much more that __**needs **__saying. You know you're amazing, Grace, and you know it better than anyone on planet Earth. I just wanted to remind you with this little letter._

_All in all, I hope you're going well. I know you'll be a better Doctor than I ever was._

Sobs racked Grace's form as she slumped further against the sofa. This man... this _alien_ had only meant to make things better for her ever since he left her. All he wanted to do by switching places with his companions was have a little fun. Grace could see the hurt in those old eyes in her head now, and she understood completely why.

The Doctor was alone.

For the first time in his life, the Doctor was alone. Amy and Rory weren't enough for him. By visiting all his old friends he was reminding himself he was loved, and by pranking them he was reminding himself that they were the most accepting people in the world. Accepting of him, and what he was. What he's done to people. But Grace...

"Oh god... I'm so sorry." She apologised to thin air. "Please, Doctor... I'm so sorry."

She looked down at the piece of paper in her hands again, and she realized she'd missed the sign off at the end.

_From The Doctor_

_11__th__ November 2001_

_PS. I love you._

The last part is scribbled out, but Grace can still see it. And her heart aches even more as she re-reads the sign off over and over again. She sets the letter down beside her, unsure of a way to react without breaking into a new set of tears.

Instead, she looked up to the stars out the window and whispered, "I love you too."


	6. Rose Tyler

**A/N:** _I'm probably going to get chased with pitchforks and torches for deciding to do this chapter. I wanted to follow Grace with this person because I knew it would cheer the Doctor up. xD Well... for the time being. I hope._

_My editor told me the first bit puts the TARDIS crew out of character, but I'm not quite sure. I spent a bit of time getting the dialogue right with that bit (and tried to change it accordingly). If you feel the characters are OOC you're welcome to tell me and hopefully I'll be able to change it (again). And apparently the chosen visitor for this chapter was a little OOC too since she apparently wasn't awkward enough. But I'll leave that up to you, I guess._

_You're welcome to hit me for this chapter. I had it coming, I know. Please enjoy. xD And keep in mind it's not set the same as the others._

* * *

The Doctor was last in, but first to drop the one of the beige seats in defeat. Amy sat beside him, arm draped over his shoulders protectively. Rory was leaning against the console in front of them, staring at the ceiling, unsure of what to do.

"It wasn't meant to happen that way." The Doctor told Amy, since she seemed to be the only one listening. "She's not normally like that... she must have had a bad day." He wiped his nose and then leaned against Amy, sniffing.

"Why don't we go back to visit in... say, a month's time?" The ginger suggested, but the Timelord only shook his head.

"There's a reason why I never go back." He began. "They've always moved on; always grown up. There's always a reason I left them or they left me, and it all revolves around the idea they don't need me anymore." He concluded.

Amy looked slightly bewildered at his response and squeezed his shoulders reassuringly. Rory then took it as his cue to sit on the other side of the Doctor, rather than standing at the console absently.

"I need you, Doctor." Amy said quietly. "_We_ need you."

"I know." The Doctor answered."For now." He added under his breath.

Luckily, neither the ginger nor the nose seemed to notice. But despite the fact they were here now, he knew it was going to happen someday, and he'd be alone again. He'd need someone else to impress.

"Are you going to visit anyone else?" Rory asked almost inaudibly.

"Are you enjoying this?" Amy queried him, almost sounding alarmed. The Doctor couldn't tell if she asked the question in spite or not.

Silence fell in the time machine, neither three of the occupants having anything in response to Amy's question. Even the TARDIS's usual buzz in the back of the Doctor's mind now seemed to have gone silent.

"If you're having fun, Rory, I have more people we can go and see." The Doctor eventually broke the awkward silence that had arisen in the room.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked wearily. "I don't want to get you upset." She squeezed him again and he only sighed gently.

"Grace was always a tough one." He explained. "It's just her. I was expecting Jack to do what she did, anyway. She was never violent." He felt the guilt rise up for involving her in his and the Master's disputes, but he pushed it back down. He told himself that now was not the time.

"Sorry." Rory apologised suddenly. "I should have known not to let her check."

"It's alright." The Doctor assured him, but there was doubt in his voice. "It's me who should have known. I was the one who knew her the best, even though it was only for a day." He reasoned.

Amy scoffed from beside him, loosening her grip from around his shoulders.

"It's not a guilt party." She said. "It was a mistake. Mistakes happen, and you can learn from them. Stop treading all over the fact you got something wrong." The fiery Scott in her was really showing, now.

Rory cleared his throat, apparently not wanting to accept the fact she was indeed right. The Doctor, however, shrugged off Amy's protective grasp on him, and went to stand at the console. He smiled at Amy as he got up as a thank you, him too not wanting to confirm aloud the ginger was true.

"So we're still going at it, then?" Rory then asked, and Amy snorted.

"If raggedy man wants to." She answered for him.

The Doctor remained silent, flicking switches but not moving from his spot. He was debating with himself, now. He wanted to see his past companions, but he wasn't sure to keep putting Rory in his place.

"Doctor?" Amy asked wearily.

He ignored her, still thinking. He didn't even know why we wanted to prank them in the first place. The TARDIS had allowed him to relive the memory of him and (some of) his companions when they had been flying the Earth back into its rightful position in space. But he wasn't sure if her intent had been to play around with them like pieces of string.

He was feeling lonely, then, and maybe it had been purely to remind him he was never alone. His children of time, Davros had called them. They were one big family.

That was when he knew who he was going to see next.

He was then a blur around the console, and the Ponds were questioning where they were going.

He only smiled.

* * *

Rose Tyler looked at her shopping list again, courtesy of her mother. It was simple – milk, bread, cheese, eggs and coffee. She swore that was all her Mum lived off these days.

She was heading to the local supermarket by foot, not wanting to take a bus this time of day. It was late winter in London and she knew the buses were crowded. They weren't even heated, which made her wonder why people took them in the first place. She walked along, digesting the thought the whole way there.

She was wearing her pink coat (with matching gloves) and beanie, as well as some track pants she'd borrowed from her mother's wardrobe. The only thing cold was her nose, and she was really hoping it wasn't bright red. She didn't want to walk in looking like a clown... but considering the amount of pink she was wearing for her age, that wouldn't be too hard.

She turned the final corner to the supermarket eventually and was delighted to see through the windows that the checkouts didn't look too crowded. It seems everybody else had better things to do than shopping.

When she entered she was greeted by a blast of warm air. It seemed the building was heated, and so Rose removed her gloves and beanie, but kept her coat on. Even though it was pink, she still adored the fact it made her feel six again.

Rose did the rounds, collecting a few extra bits as she strolled through the aisles, happily taking her time. She didn't need to leave any time soon, anyway. Mickey wasn't expecting her at his flat until early evening, and it was a little past four pm. If her mum was really that desperate for her coffee, she could easily call and tell her to hurry up, too.

She was so lost in thought, she barely registered that she walked straight into a man. He didn't seem to mind, apologizing first and snapping Rose back to reality. It was a squeaky apology, and it almost made the man seem nervous about bumping into her at the shops.

"Sorry, mate." Rose apologized with a smile. "I'm a li'l distracted."

"I understand." He answered. His mouth was curved into such a huge smile that it seemed like it was about to fall off his face. "This is going to sound daft," He began again. "but what year is this?"

Rose let out a little laugh before answering, "November, 2004." She paused and smiled. "Where 'ave you been, then?" She then joked.

"Travelling." The man answered.

A silly smile then crossed his face, and it seemed he just managed to resist the urge to elaborate. Rose laughed again. She quite liked this man, despite the fact she'd only known him for not even a minute.

Although, he was rather awkward. She'd give him that. Rose had been talked to by strangers before, and this awkward man just tops the lot.

She then took this moment to take in his appearance. He was dressed in denim jeans, a red jumper and another denim jacket. They all looked a little too small for him. He had a ridiculous head of hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in all its life. His eyes were kind, but they looked older than the rest of him. He was in his twenties for sure, but Rose couldn't tell which end. Finally his chin was a little too noticeable, but she decided the nice eyes complimented his chin.

She then realized she should respond to the man's answer.

"Where to?" She found the need to start a conversation with him, as he seemed so excited to just be standing in Rose's presence.

He appeared to be trying to hide it, but the smiles always broke out, and the excited movements were poorly converting into rubbing his arms, face and smoothing his hair.

"Everywhere." He responded.

"You've got money, then." She kicked herself for the stupid response – it sounded like she was commenting on his occupation. "Sorry, that probably sounded obnoxious." She admitted with a sad smile.

"It's alright." He assured her with a wave of his hand.

"So, uh, are you here for your mum's living needs too?" Rose started the conversation again, and relief briefly flashed across the man's face.

He gave a shaky laugh and then answered, "Friends, actually. They're waiting outside."

"I shouldn't be keeping you, then." Rose decided. "It was nice meeting you..." She trailed off, hinting she wanted the man's name.

"John." He replied immediately. "John Smith." The cheeky smile came out again, and it made Rose laugh.

"Rose Tyler." Rose then introduced herself with a smile as well. "It was nice to meet you, John." She bowed her head at him slightly, and he rubbed at his arm again.

"The pleasure was all mine." John stated, returning the bowing gesture rather awkwardly.

Rose felt herself flush, and John seemed to notice. She then took the moment to examine him thoroughly again, just in case she saw him around. He didn't do the same. He was simply grinning like a madman at her, all his features lighting up with the action.

"Oh, and uh..." John started up awkwardly as Rose turned to leave.

She sighed inwardly to herself, but then turned to look at him again. He was certainly topping the list.

"Shopping gets lonely alone. So I was wondering... I could shop with you. I never liked shopping, but my friends made me go in." He said disjointedly.

Rose giggled at his nervousness, but was suddenly feeling rather fond of this strange man. She nodded in agreement slowly, unsure, but John bounded up along beside her as she finished her shopping rounds anyway.

"Have you ever tried marmalade on bananas?" He'd ramble as they weaved throughout aisles. Rose couldn't help but notice John didn't pick anything up for his friends. "It's so delicious. You should try it sometime, Rose. Make it for your mother in bed sometime. It's a really nice to thing to wake up to, marmalade on bananas."

"How about marmalade on toast?" She suggested slowly. "That's a little more... normal." She smiled.

"Normal is boring." John declared. "You've got to be creative! Have a little fun in life and be a little bit mad."

"I suppose that's why you travel." Rose wondered aloud.

"I guess." John answered her anyway. "Travelling is wonderful though, Rose. You should go one day. Not with me, because I'm a horrible person to travel with. I'm always told I can never keep my mouth shut." She hoped he was joking about the horrible bit. "As you can see here... We're only travelling supermarket aisles and I'm blabbering on." He laughed.

"I don't mind." Rose admitted, still smiling. "After living with my mum and my boyfriend, you sort of get used to it." She knew Mickey was a downright rambler, though he was quiet around people he didn't know. And Jackie was simply _never_ quiet.

"Oh!" John exclaimed. "Who's the lucky man, then?" He grinned again and Rose smiled gently.

"Mickey." Rose answered. "He's wonderful. I love him to pieces." She then paused as she considered her next question. "Is there a lucky Mrs Smith?" She decided to return the question.

"Me?" John asked in disbelief. "Well... It's complicated." He answered slowly. "I don't actually know."

Rose took the hint he didn't want to talk about it, and so she took to wandering again. John followed her, still rambling as she reached the checkouts. He even helped Rose to put all the shopping on the moving platform.

They then exited the supermarket and were assaulted by the cold. It was also getting dark, and John's watch read around five thirty pm. They'd been in the shop for an hour and a half for only five things. And John didn't end up picking up anything for his friends, either.

"You've got to be cold." Rose commented as John hugged himself. "You certainly look cold." She put her gloves back on, but then paused when she was about to put her pink beanie back on her head.

She moved up to John, wiped his brown hair out of his eyes, and put the pink beanie on his head. He smiled in appreciation and Rose smiled straight back at him.

"Keep it." She told him. "You've still got to walk home in this," She gestured to the snow covering the streets. "so you could probably use something more than denim."

John looked flabbergasted and his expression made Rose giggle again. He also took the shopping bags, Rose noticed.

They strolled to the end of the street together, but when the corner came into view, John glanced the other way.

"I've got to go this way." He gestured with a nod of his head to the block of apartments on the other side of the road. "It's been wonderful meeting you, Rose Tyler." He seemed reluctant to go.

"You too, John Smith." Rose returned with a smile. "I'll need my shopping back, too. Mum will go crazy without her coffee tomorrow morning." She joked, and John nodded, apparently understanding.

"Thanks for letting me shop with you." John took it as his cue to say his closing speech. "It's never fun alone, you know. You should never shop alone. You can meet the most amazing people in shops, Rose Tyler." He continued to ramble on. "Try not to shop alone for me, yeah?" He joked, and Rose laughed.

"I'll try." She agreed. "And that pink beanie really suits you, too." She added with a smile.

"I love the pink coat too." John returned. "It matches your hair... which is also very pretty."

"Thanks." Rose suddenly felt subconscious about her snow-mattered hair, but John seemed to like it nevertheless. "Thanks again, John." She repeated. "Have a good Christmas... when it comes around."

"You too." John responded. "And a good new year." He added. "You'll have a great year, I'm sure."

Rose's shopping partner then turned to leave, still hugging himself from the cold. The pink beanie stood out against his clothes and it made Rose smile. When he'd crossed the street and disappeared around the corner, Rose turned to leave too.

She still was wondering why he didn't buy anything for his friends as she entered the Powell Estate.


	7. Sally Sparrow and Larry Nightingale

**A/N:** _Hi hello and welcome to chapter 7! (This sounds quite classical, actually, I think I'll use that more often.) This chapter will be dedicated to the girl who didn't get enough screen time: the one and only Sally Sparrow._

_It honestly did take me a while to get this right, and I'm still not entirely sure if everyone's in character. I'm pretty sure I've got my facts straight, but if something's wrong please inform! I've also got hundreds (not hundreds - more like eight) of exams going around at the moment, hence why the updates are becoming delayed. But as a reward for your patience, this chapter is 4.2K words long - it's the biggest one yet._

_Same procedure! You know the drill! Errors, please tell. Reviews are appreciated and thanks to those who are supporting the story! Enjoy!_

* * *

The Doctor was cold. Rory's jeans weren't providing much protection from the assaulting winter wind, and nor was the little denim jacket. It was times like these he really wished he didn't overshoot the TARDIS's coordinates and end up three blocks from where he needed to be. He really wanted his bowtie back, too.

He reached the TARDIS eventually and found the familiar blue to be comforting. He took off Rose's beanie and clutched it with his numb fingers, deciding the Ponds would probably make fun of him if he walked in sporting it.

He snapped his fingers, only just realizing moments before that his TARDIS key was in his tweed jacket pocket. The door opened with a nearly satisfying creak. He then entered the TARDIS to find Rory playing darts, and Amy sitting on the beige seats, watching her husband. They both looked at him when he staggered in, still hugging himself.

"Cold out, raggedy man?" Amy joked with a little laugh.

"Oh _no_, Pond, it's like a summer's day." The Doctor replied sarcastically.

"You've got to be cold." Rory's nurse persona was now shining through, as he was coaxing the Doctor out of his snow-damp clothes. "I'll find something else for you to wear." He avowed.

"Where's the beanie from?" Amy gestured to the pink and also snow-mattered cotton in the Doctor's hands, ignoring Rory.

"A friend." He immediately answered, clutching it to his chest almost protectively, ignoring Rory also.

"The one you went to see?" The ginger continued to shower him with questions. "That's cute... She gave you her beanie. You must have looked cold." She picked herself up off the beige seat and slowly made her way down the stairs.

In this time, Rory had disappeared and re-appeared with a fresh set of his clothes. It seemed he still wanted to go at the pranking business, as he bought more denim. He handed them to the Doctor, who took them and gave Rory a glance.

"I didn't know where your clothes were, so..." Rory trailed off, trying to cover up his real intent with a well thought out lie. The Doctor snorted.

"If you want to continue with this, Mr Pond, I know who we can go and see next." The Doctor saw right through it, and Rory turned away sheepishly. "I never actually _met_ her, but I did at the same time. It's complicated." He dismissed a story again with a wave of his hand.

Rory made a confused noise in the back of throat, and Amy simply stared.

"Timey wimey wibbly wobbly." The Doctor elaborated with a smile. "She's the whole reason that phrase exists, actually." He realized with a little laugh.

"At least get changed." Rory put his nurse face back on as he proposed politely, gesturing to the clothes in the Doctor's hands. "You'll freeze to death before we meet her."

"Fine." He puckered in defeat. "I'll give these," He looked down at Rory's dampened clothes. "to the TARDIS to wash, and then you can have them back." The Doctor proposed.

Rory nodded in agreement. The Doctor then turned to the stairs, still clutching Rose's beanie. He felt a little better about himself now that he'd seen Rose. Even though she had had no idea who he was at the time, he'd still gone to see her.

He'd lied to Jack when he said he'd moved on from Rose. He would always catch himself thinking about her, even though he's got Amy and Rory. He never mentioned her to them, but it didn't stop his thoughts from wandering to her.

Grace had upset him with what she'd said, but Rose had managed to cheer him up. And now he'd decided to go and see someone else, still going at the pranking business. He hoped he didn't stuff this one up.

And as he glanced over Rory's denim again, he realized that he still had to tell Rory about the girl he was going to visit.

* * *

_"What are you doing here?" The short man asked her, his hair attacked by the violent wind._

_"I'm tired of it." The illusive woman said in response, gazing down the building. "I'm tired of everything, Greg." She wavered dangerously close to the edge._

_"Sally –"_

_"Don't Sally me!" She snarled in response. "You've seen me cutting; you've seen me screaming and pleading to die. You knew it was going to happen, Greg, and you chose not to prevent it earlier." She sucked in her breath as she glanced down below again, feeling slightly dizzy._

_"What did you want me to do?" Greg cried in response. "You'd always push me out! Always tell me you wanted to be alone! There was no room to try and help you!"_

_Sally uttered a low laugh and shuffled a little closer to the edge. She turned to look back at Greg and said quietly, "You could have told me you loved me."_

_"I do love you!" Greg blubbered immediately._

_She wasn't wavered by his sudden declaration, but she still chose to examine her lover one last time. She now noticed his long face was stained with tears, and even in the wild wind, his hair looked solemn. _

_A sudden urge to step down sparked up in Sally, very slowly, but she put it out immediately._

_"I'm going to do this." Sally said firmly, her voice now shaking. "And I'm going to do this now."_

_She raised her arms to look like an aeroplane, admitting defeat. Greg's shouts came, but without another glance at her lover, she stepped –_

Sally Nightingale put her book down when she heard the bell on the store door chime brightly. It announced someone had come in, and potential customers were always good.

She set her book down on the bench next to her, sneaking a glance at the still-asleep Larry as she did. He was curled up in the duvet almost like a dog, and she could just hear him snoring. Sally couldn't help but smile as she looked at her husband lying there, but then realized she ought to tend to the people in the shop.

She jogged through the kitchen and into the shop, just making it to the counter as the customer approached. He was a lanky man; his hair mattered to his head; his nose a little too large for comfort; his eyes brown and solemn. He was smiling at her.

Sally also noticed there were two other people in the shop – a ginger woman and a brunette man. They were both browsing, but sneaking glances in Sally's direction.

"Hi." He immediately greeted her.

"Hello, can I help you?" Sally responded with her best sweet smile.

"Yes, actually." The man answered. "I'm looking for Sally Sparrow."

"That's me." Sally laughed. She wondered why this man knew her. She certainly hadn't seen him before, and he didn't seem to recognize her. "And it's Sally Nightingale now." She corrected.

The man with the ginger looked up, and after a moment's hesitation, he came over to join the lanky man. The ginger followed slowly, looking unsure.

"This will sound silly," The brunette one began, once he was at the counter. "but what year is it? I think he," he poked the other man in the side and he yelped in surprise. "overshot the year a little bit." He paused for a short-lived moment, but then added, "At least, that's what he said."

"It's September 16th 2011." Sally answered slowly. "Why?"

"I left it a while, then." The lanky man said, smiling.

"I've never seen you before in my life." Sally told him in reply, and then gestured to the other two. "Or any of you two. I can help you if you want something, but if it's a social call I have no idea who you are."

"Oh." The lanky one said suddenly, sounding rather bored. It sounded almost forced. "I look different."

Sally gave him a sideways glance, now feeling really confused. If they were in here to purchase, she didn't know why she had put her good book down to tend to them in the first place.

"I'm not following." She began slowly, after a pause.

The ginger looked at the brunette, who pouted in response. The lanky man looked crestfallen. It sent shivers up her spine. The brunette man's eyes seemed to register that he knew her, and the lanky one's eyes were half way there, too. The ginger seemed completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Okay." The lanky one said heavily. "If I said weeping angels... No, wait." He hesitated. "Yeah... uh... Weeping angels. Do those words mean anything to you?" He eventually got his tongue around his question.

Sally's breath caught in her throat at the mentions of the stone angels, and it took her a long moment to realize she had to breathe. It had been almost three years since the angel incident with the Doctor, and she hadn't seen him –

"_Doctor_?" Sally asked sharply, in disbelief.

The lanky man smiled awkwardly at her, and her suspicions were confirmed. She was halfway around the counter when she realized he looked completely different, and so she paused, and gave the man claiming to be the Doctor a glare.

"It's not you." She said disappointedly. She was more disappointed in herself for falling for the trick, than anything else.

"It is." He said loudly. "I've just..." He stumbled for his words again. "... changed."

The nagging sensation in the back of Sally's head was telling her to believe him, and it was validated even further by the fact she knew the Doctor was an alien. He had owned a trans-dimensional spaceship, and that could honestly only mean one thing – he was an alien.

"Okay," Sally said slowly. "The phone box," She paused, wondering if Larry would want to be here for this as well. "I'm going to get Larry, and then you're going to show me the phone box." She held up a finger, telling them to wait, and then bolted back through the bead curtain and towards the bedroom.

She found Larry still in the same position as before. She pulled the duvet off him, and then prodded him in the side. He grunted and rolled over, but didn't wake up.

"Larry." Sally said a little more forcedly than she had liked. "The Doctor is here, and he's going to show us the phone box again."

At the mention of the Doctor, Larry's eyes opened lazily. It took him a moment, but then he snapped his attention to Sally, and he was soon fumbling for his clothes. He was dressed in his singlet and boxers, which wasn't exactly something he wanted to be seen in.

"He's back?" Larry asked whilst slipping a shirt on. "I thought we weren't going to see him again."

"I'm not sure if it's him." Sally revealed, and her husband's face fell. "But he knows about the angels, and there's something about those eyes you just can't miss."

"Well, if he says he has the phone box..."

"He never actually said he had it either, but he's going to show us." Sally exposed again, and Larry's face fell even more, if possible.

"You got me out of bed for nothing." He summarised dully, and Sally simply nodded. But to Sally's surprise, Larry smiled again, and then strolled out of the bedroom and back towards the shop counter. "May as well." He claimed, pushing the beaded curtain aside.

On entrance to the shop again, the Doctor was still by the counter, tapping his fingers on the wood. The brunette was next to him, and had apparently been telling him something prior. His lips were terribly close to his ear, and he pulled away once Sally and Larry entered. The ginger was browsing again, apparently deeming the whole situation not worthy of her time.

"Right." Sally announced, now standing next to the brunette man. "Phone box, and then I'm going to give you a huge hug." She smiled.

Larry held up a camera from beside her, and sheepishly asked, "Do you mind if I... you know?" He swallowed. "Take some pictures? Sometimes it seems pretty surreal, and some photographic proof would be nice."

The Doctor nodded slowly, but not after glancing at the brunette man wearily. The ginger followed idly behind them.

He led them down the street, turned a corner, and then into a dark alleyway. It wasn't all that dark, to be honest, as Sally found it was mainly the fact that the blue telephone box was blocking the sun from accessing the little hideaway. She literally heard Larry's jaw hit the ground from beside her, and she couldn't even contain the gasp that escaped her lips.

"It is you." Sally breathed, and both she and her husband were hugging the lanky Doctor.

He seemed momentarily shocked from the sudden gesture, but gathered quickly, as he patted their backs awkwardly as they hugged him. The brunette man laughed, and the ginger scoffed.

"You look so different, though..." It was Sally who released him first to examine his new features again. Larry did the same not shortly afterwards. "Did you get major plastic surgery, or something?"

"Something along those lines." He hopefully joked with a smile.

"He regenerated." The brunette said loudly, a hint of annoyance ringing in his voice. "He crashed into Pond's backyard just afterwards. I never hear the end of it." He threw a glance at the ginger, who Sally could only assume was named Pond. It was certainly a strange name.

"Regenerated?" Larry questioned. "You mean... You regenerated a new body because the one you had was dying or dead?" He asked, and Sally smirked, knowing her husband had been playing too many games.

"Gamer." The Doctor returned with a smirk and nod, but the expression faded quickly. He looked to the ground, deciding the dirt was the most interesting thing in the world. "But, uh, yeah." He paused. "This is my new body."

"I knew you were alien." Sally said. "With the trans-dimensional police box, and everything, but this is just..." She fumbled for her words, just like he had before. "... _alien_."

The brunette man laughed again and then clapped the Doctor on the shoulder. He jerked upright, looking stricken at the sudden contact.

"And he doesn't even mention _us_." He patted the Doctor again, and then tossed another glance at the ginger.

Sally slowly realized he had had a different person following him around back when he looked different, and it certainly wasn't any of these two. She had been a pretty girl – dark hair – , with a distinct British accent. She didn't remember her name.

"What happened to that other girl?" Sally decided to ask. "I don't remember her name, but she was the pretty British one. Dark hair, red jacket." She described, but the Doctor still looked uncertain.

"That was Martha, wasn't it?" The brunette asked quietly. "You told us her name a couple of times, and I think Amelia accessed the TARDIS file a once or twice."

Sally felt silly when she realized the ginger woman wasn't actually named Pond. Her name was likely _Amelia_ Pond, and that her last name was her nickname.

"She left." The Doctor replied after a pause. "But now I have these two... " He gave the brunette a glare. "I'm sure you've established that this," He gestured to Amelia. "is Amy," He then gestured to the brunette. "and _that_ is Rory."

Silence then fell, all five of the people down the dark alleyway unsure of what to say next. Hellos had been said, people had been introduced to one another and Sally wasn't sure if asking him how he had been coping these past few years was the right take on it. She had only met him once, and he had had no idea who she was. However, he still took the time out of his... whatever he measured a general day as... to come and see how she and Larry were.

"Can we go inside?" Larry broke the silence first. His gaze was resting solely on the police box standing not far away. He was clutching his camera protectively.

"Oh, sure." The Doctor spun awkwardly to locate the box, and then started towards it.

He then threw an almost panicked glance in Rory's direction, and Rory mouthed something in response. The exchange made Sally smile slightly. The Doctor seemed to understand what Rory had meant, as he patted his tweed jacket pocket and found what he was looking for.

Sally then realized he was dressed strangely. She hadn't even bothered to examine him before, and she was kicking herself for not noticing sooner. He was wearing a bowtie, the tweed jacket, a boring blue undershirt, suspenders and sensible black pants and boots. They seemed a little too big for him, and they didn't suit him, either.

"Oh, and I like the look." Sally commented somewhat mockingly as the Doctor slipped the TARDIS key into the lock.

The Doctor nodded in response, a nod that almost said, "_Ri_-ght,", and then pushed the door open. Rory went in first, followed by Amy, Larry, Sally and finally the Doctor.

Sally was still amazed at the inside of the police box. It was amazing at how it all fitted into the tiny box, and Larry seemed the most impressed out of all five of them. He was snapping pictures of the interior, looking completely bewildered at the site of it all, although he'd already seen it all before.

Sally noticed (a little quicker this time) that the interior was different. She assumed it changed when the Doctor regenerated his face. She wasn't inclined to ask, because it would probably lead to a long-winded recount of how he'd regenerated, which she wasn't really fond of hearing right now. She was simply glad he'd come back to say hello.

"So," The Doctor approached her awkwardly. She'd been simply gazing around at the machine, and apparently it looked like she needed a little company. "how have you been?"

She stifled a little laugh, noting the awkwardness in his voice, but then answered, "I've had my share of ups and downs. I've been back to West Drumlins a few times, as well as Billy's family and friends. I've been relatively good recently, though, so yeah." She smiled. "Larry and I got married last year. I think it's what Kathy would have wanted." She paused, and then turned to him. "What about you?"

"Good, all-round." He answered plainly. "We'd be here all year if I told you the bits in between." He laughed, and so did Sally. There was an awkward pause, in which Sally snuck a glance at Larry. He was engaged in conversation with Rory. "Have you figured it out yet?" He asked suddenly.

"What?" Sally questioned, now confused. Had she missed something?

The Doctor gestured for Rory to come over, and he did, after ending his conversation with Sally's husband. They then stood side by side, both grinning.

"What?" Sally asked again, now both confused _and_ annoyed.

"She hasn't figured it out, has she?" Rory asked the Doctor, and the alien nodded. "I wouldn't expect her to, because of the regeneration and all... but I feel really quite bad for tricking her."

Sally gave both men (one man, one alien – more or less) a quizzical look. She cocked her eyebrow first, thinking. Then she slowly drew out her breath, _still _thinking. She knew they were getting at something – and she'd always been fast at getting these sorts of things – but she couldn't be sure what.

"Everyone else figured it out." Rory started up again. "One of them got angry at me, and I'd feel bad if I left you thinking this man," He poked the Doctor in the side again. "was actually me."

Sally finally put the pieces together, and her initial reaction had been to hit the man who had just spoken across the face. She restrained herself, however, and encased him in a hug.

"That was wonderful!" She exclaimed, apparently unexpectedly. The real Doctor looked bewildered. "You kept it up for so long." He seemed slightly relieved she'd reacted the way she did.

"Sorry." The real Doctor then apologized. "I've done this to six or so people now, so if you feel angry, be assured you're not the first." He smiled.

"I'm not angry." Sally assured him. "I understand even alien time travellers want to have some fun sometimes, and if this is your way, then so be it." She smiled back at him. "And six people? You've got a good number of friends, then."

The real Doctor laughed then, and finally released Sally from the hug. The real Rory shifted awkwardly from one foot to another.

"You were good, too." She assured him, too. "You did a great job, considering you'd never seen me or Larry before."

"Speaking of which..." The Doctor mumbled, but then trailed off. "Pond!" He then yelled, and the ginger looked up from her conversation with Larry.

"So you told her, then?" She asked with a smile, once she was standing nearby. "Is she angry?"

"She's not angry, no." Sally almost mumbled, and everyone noticed, despite the fact it had been quiet.

"You mean..." Larry seemed to realize what was going on. "This man," He pointed at the real Rory. "Isn't actually the Doctor?" He looked generally calm too, and Sally could see the relief etched on the real Doctor's face.

The Doctor ultimately nodded at Larry, who grinned and embraced him not shortly afterwards.

"Was it some sort of alien disguise?" He then went on to speculate, and Sally simply rolled her eyes.

"No, Larry." She began. "They just switched names. A little joke. Even aliens get bored sometimes, you know." She explained with a grin.

"And a good joke indeed!" The Doctor piped up with a little laugh. "It was nice to see you again, Sally." He then smiled at her warmly. "It's wonderful to hear you're doing well, and I can tell you exactly the same." He gave Rory a glance. "Rory was generally spot on, describing how I was, too. You _have_ to give him credit."

"You're certainly chatty." Sally said instead. She turned to Rory. "Is he always like this, now?"

He gave a little rigid nod, and the Doctor's face fell slightly.

"Oi!" He exclaimed. "I'm not that bad." He turned to find Amy. "Pond! Tell them!"

"Whatever you say, raggedy man." The ginger smirked in response. She was standing beside Larry.

"Oh – _thanks_." He pouted at seemingly everyone, and Sally couldn't contain the laugh. "But it was wonderful to actually meet you properly, Sally. Really, it was. No matter what the Ponds say." He glared at his companions.

"You too." Sally responded with a smile. She then looked around the spaceship. "It always bothered me how all this fitted into the tiny police box."

The Doctor's lips curved into an elegant smile. "It's bigger on –"

"It's a door to another dimension." Rory answered dully. Sally could literally taste the Doctor's glare.

"It's amazing." Larry commented, still apparently breathless by the sight of it all. "Thank you for this, Doctor! I can't believe I get to be in here again... it's so... _amazing_."

"I guess this is the part where we say goodbye." Sally took it as her cue to run the finishing act. The Doctor's face fell slightly again. "Because I'm sure you've got other people to prank." She smiled.

"Yes!" His face let up again. "Thank you for being brilliant, though. I thought you were going to get angry." He was rambling again, and Sally put up a hand to stop him. "Oh, well, yes." He paused and smiled. "Goodbye, Sally Nightingale."

"Are we ever going to see you again?" Larry asked anxiously.

The Doctor blinked at him, before sucking in his breath. "If I'm lucky."

Sally's smile almost fell off her face. "You're brilliant, too." She assured him. "I'll be seeing you around, then?" She joked with a little laugh, beginning to slowly stroll towards the door.

The Doctor gave her an enthusiastic grin, and Rory gave her a thumbs up. Larry was strolling with her, now.

"Oh!" The Doctor exclaimed, just as Sally's fingers brushed the door handle. "You'll like what comes next, Larry." He grinned. "Keep your eyes on the police box."

Sally beamed in response, waved, and then slipped outside into the dark alleyway. Larry backed up a little, so the time machine was in his full vision. Sally went to meet him.

A deafening sound suddenly filled the alleyway, and the wind brewed up around them. It attacked Sally's jumper, and danced through her hair.

The police box began to slowly fade, with it, the accompanying sound of... whatever it was... It wasn't all that romantic, she'd admit, but the sunlight that poured into the now-light alleyway was somehow refreshing. The police box was gone now, the Doctor and his two Ponds with it.

Sally took Larry's hand and squeezed it, and he squeezed right back. They began the walk back to the shop. Sally's book was waiting, and she was just itching to find out what happens to Sally and Greg.

As she walked, Sally became certain she'd see the Doctor again. And then as she picked her book up again, she came to the conclusion she was looking forward to it.


	8. Romanadvoratrelundar

_**A/N: Wow... it's been nearly four months since I last updated this. (I think this chapter is just a one-off from my feels, though.) It's just a short update - standing at only 1.5K words, just about. I hope you all don't mind. And I hope you appreciate me updating it!**_

_**I apologize if I'm not following canon. I watched this companion's finale last night and let's just say I was extremely upset afterwards. I know she comes back in the prose in the Eighth Doctor's era, so I suppose this is an AU chapter... pretty much like the rest of them xD**_

_**And wow has my writing style changed since I last wrote a chapter for this. My writing has never been that good, but looking back... some things make me feel all embarrassed because; wow did I really write that?**_

_**Don't hate on me, okay? D:**_

* * *

The Doctor was back in the vortex. He always found the vortex was always the best place to do some hard thinking, anyway. The current (unnamed) dilemma was so frustrating that he slammed down hard on the console with both fists, grumbling.

Rory and Amy looked up from behind him, startled. "What's wrong?" They both asked in unison.

The Doctor spun to face them, almost tripping over his own feet, and then leant back on the console in a huff.

"I can't choose." He told them. "I want to visit someone, but I can't _choose_."

Amy pulled a face, as did her husband from next to her. "Who are you choosing between?" She asked. Rory seemed interested for the Doctor's answer.

"Everyone." The Doctor answered with an exasperated sigh. "After Grace I was hesitant, but Rose and Sally reminded me..." He paused. "Some of them may have moved on, but it's still lovely to catch up." He smiled.

The Ponds smiled back, but they offered no suggestions.

Of course, they didn't know the names which were going around in the Doctor's head right now. There were more than 50; how was he supposed to narrow it down to one?

"Rose." The Doctor suddenly repeated.

Amy threw him a glance. "You've already seen Rose." She reminded him.

"Yes, yes, but Rose! Parallel universes!" He paused for a moment, looking at the Ponds, expecting them to figure out what he was thinking. Both Ponds looked back at him, clueless. "E-space!" He cried. "It's impossible without Gallifrey about, but it's always worth a try..." He began to circle the console.

"What's E-Space?" Rory asked.

The Doctor didn't halt; he continued to run around the console. "It's parallel to N-Space – where we are now." He answered. "It's one of many parallel universes, but this is one is where one of my old companions used to live. If I get into the right time-stream..."

"Am I being you?" Rory queried, interrupting. "Or are you being you?"

"I'll be myself – she'll be able to tell straight away." He replied. "Time Lords and Ladies are telepathically linked, after all."

Amy gawked, and Rory seemed to respect the decision. The Ponds said nothing more. The Doctor shrugged, pressed another few buttons, and then began a transmission over to E-Space – there goes another sun.

But this time, it was only to say hello.

* * *

Romanadvoratrelundar was awoken by a sound that was very rare in her current base camp. She groggily rubbed her eyes, instinctively checked the heat sensors for signs of movement outside (luckily there were no contacts), and then rolled out of her sleeping bag.

The transmitter that she used to contact other camps around the planet was blinking, which usually meant someone had something to report in. It was the middle of the night after all, so it better be important.

She checked she was equip to move out and assist if need be before moving over to receive the incoming message. When she saw the base code she froze. She remembered to breathe, and then with shaky fingers, pressed receive.

"Well hello there, stranger." she greeted, trying to keep her composure. Her emotions were all over the place – she was unsure if she should yell at him or smother him in mental hugs.

"Romana." he returned, completely emotionless.

His voice was much higher than when she had last seen him. Had he regenerated? It'd been nearly a year since she'd left him to stay and fight the Tharils. Surely he couldn't get himself into that much trouble in the space of three hundred and sixty five days?

Nevertheless, she perched herself on the table beside the transmitter. She began to play with her blonde hair. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked.

It took him a moment before he answered. "I just wanted to check up on you." he replied. "And say hello... you know. Ask how you're doing." he claimed.

"What happened to hiding from the Time Lords?" she queried, laughing, although completely serious.

She heard him take a shallow breath on the other end of the line. "I don't think they'll pick on just one transmission. Three or four, maybe. But just this once wouldn't hurt." he answered.

If he would have been there, Romana would have poked out her tongue at him. She changed the subject. "So, new face, then? What _do_ you get up to?" she asked, giggling.

"Radiation and the Master – the usual." he responded, also chuckling.

She laughed. "What did he do this time?" she asked.

"He's upped his standards, as a matter of fact. He almost succeeded in taking over Earth this time." The Doctor replied.

"_Almost_." she echoed.

"Almost." he confirmed.

She knew he was smiling on the other end of the line. "I'm going to miss that hair, though. And that smile." she commented. "But not the scarf... flea collar of a scarf."

"Oi!" he exclaimed, laughing. He sniffed – was he crying? "Leave my scarf alone!"

Romana sniggered. "What's it now, though? Bowties?" she asked.

There was a rather long silence on the other end of the transmission, and then two people burst into laughter – new companions. Ultimately the Doctor joined in, though his was more sarcastic.

Romana's face was reduced to a look of horror, although she was grinning like an idiot inwardly. "Oh Rassilon, no... You're _not _wearing a bowtie, are you?" she inquired.

"A red one, thank you very much." he replied, the amusement clear in his voice. "And matching bracers, too." There was a snap on the other end line. Romana giggled.

"You never change." she commented. She then remembered the two other laughs. "And do tell me about the new companions." she said.

"Amy and Rory." The Doctor replied with a sense of pride in his voice. "My Ponds." he added.

She raised her voice so the two companions would know she was talking to them. "Oh dear, has he given you two pet names?" she asked, pouting, although grinning. "Ponds." she repeated. "Not as bad as Fred, I suppose." she commented.

She heard the Doctor let out a low laugh. "Romanadvoratrelundar – a name which reflects you. And yet you insisted on being called _Romana_. Why not Fred? It's the same thing!" he exclaimed. He laughed again.

"Same goes for you, _Theta_." she returned. "How could you shorten Thi– "

A beeping began to sound on the other end of the line. She heard the Doctor throw up levers on the console as they still made their distinctive noises.

"I... I have to go." he voiced to her. "I'm sorry."

Romana's features fell. "I understand." she returned. "Universe to save, hey?" she asked. She got off the table and leant on it instead. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's been lovely catching up with you." she said. "And if we never get the chance to do it again, then know that I miss you. As does K9 over here." she continued. "And be well, Doctor." She raised her voice again. "You Ponds better take care of him!"

"Oh they do, don't you worry." he replied. "And I miss you too, Romana." he said. "Good luck."

The transmission ended with a click. A gaping hole suddenly formed in Romana's chest. It had been her decision to stay and fight the Tharils; her decision to leave the Doctor. And yet now she found herself wanting to go back and travel with him again.

What also disturbed her was that he had said once he left E-Space would close up and they would never see each other again. She wondered if he had meant it in the literal sense or not. But how had he done it? She mused to herself that he'd probably bent some very strict law of time just for the sake of checking up on her. It made her smile and filled the hole slightly.

Despite this, she missed him. They had been perfect together – the-Doctor-and-Romana. But staying with him would have meant going back to the Time Lords and Gallifrey, and that would have ultimately meant she would never see him again. Staying in E-Space, she'd met the same fate – no Doctor. But there were no Time Lords of N-Space Gallifrey seeking her here.

She was happy he had checked up on her, though, no matter how the crazy idiot managed to do it.

Besides, the-Doctor-and-his-Ponds had a nice ring to it.


End file.
